Love Song for No One
by Ella Kelly
Summary: Post Piece of My Heart McStizzie. What if Mark didn't do the McNasty with Callie and spent that night with Izzie instead? Not your typical McStizzie hook-up, but it results in McStizzie baby or should I say babies ! PLEASE REVIEW!
1. I'm Tired of Being Alone

Chapter 1

_**A/N: Some of you have been asking me to write a new Grey's fic, so here it is! Love Song for No One by John Mayer, a musical god!**_

Chapter 1

_I'm tired of being alone_

_So hurry up and get here_

_So tired of being alone_

_So hurry up and get here _

"So," Callie purred, rubbing herself up against Mark outside of Joe's. "Your place?"

As the cool night air hit him, Mark paused. What was he doing? Why was he going to have sex with Torres? Again? Why did she want to have sex with him? He'd been offering for months. Why did she decide to give in now? Yes, he was horny and yes, he usually didn't question an easy lay, but something felt wrong about this one.

Going with his gut, he said, "You know what? I forgot I have to check on some things up at the hospital. Maybe another time?"

Callie looked thoroughly stunned and then dismayed. "Wait a minute. You, Mark Sloan, _McSteamy_, manwhore extraordinaire, are turning down a night of hot, down and dirty, no-strings attached sex with me? What is your problem?"

"Like I said, I've got some work to do. Besides, you don't really want to have sex with me. You just want to have sex with _someone_. Go pick up some other shmuck. As horny as I am, I don't really feel like being used for my body tonight, at least not by you," Mark said, harshly, prying her off of him and stalking across the street towards the hospital.

MIMIMI

Izzie walked through the halls, examining the lab results for Rebecca Pope. Something wasn't right. Why would she claim to be pregnant and then not be? What was going on with her and Alex? Ever since she'd started reappearing, Alex had been acting really odd. And now, with the addition of a pregnancy scare to all that, something was definitely wrong. She was so intent on trying to decipher what could possibly be wrong with Rebecca that she didn't notice she was walking straight into someone until she collided with a thick wall of muscled chest.

"Watch where you're going, Stevens," Mark growled, looking particularly menacing tonight.

"Oh, sorry, Dr. Sloan. I was…distracted," Izzie said, looking flustered.

"Just pay attention from now on," Mark snapped, starting to stalk down the hall. Then he paused. "You haven't seen Derek wandering around here, have you?"

"Um, no, I haven't. I think he already left with _Rose_," Izzie sneered, rolling her eyes.

"Not a big fan of her either?" Mark chuckled darkly.

"Hmm…Let's see. She aided in the breaking up of one of my best friends and her soul mate and is now flaunting her relationship with said soul mate all over the hospital. Oh, we're BFFs," Izzie said sarcastically.

"Yeah, she's not my favorite person either," Mark agreed. "I see him less now than when he was doing the whole sex and mockery thing with Grey."

"It's better than losing your best friend to a group of _interns_," Izzie griped. "When your best friend is in a romantic relationship, a certain amount of disconnect is expected, but I _never_ expected to lose George to a group of immature interns. It's rather degrading."

"I hate interns," Mark grumbled. "Come to think of it, I'm not a big fan of residents either."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Izzie said. "I think some of us residents aren't too terrible."

"Depends on the day," Mark conceded. "Today is not a good day, so I hate residents as well as interns."

"Not a good day?" Izzie asked. "Didn't you have that surgery with Dr. Montgomery and Dr. Hahn where you grew a skin flap? Did that not go well?"

"Stalking me, Stevens?" Mark teased.

"No," Izzie replied quickly, ducking her head to hide the faint blush coloring her cheeks. "I just know why Dr. Montgomery was in town and Cristina was bitching about scrubbing in with Hahn."

"To answer your question, the surgery went well, the flap worked beautifully," Mark bragged.

"Then what crawled up your butt and died?"

"Excuse me?" Mark asked, raising one dark brow in surprise and furrowing the other one in confusion. "You do realize I'm your boss, right?"

"Sorry, I've had to sugar coat everything today and I really have lost the patience for it," Izzie replied. "So, what has you in such a bad mood?"

"I don't know. Life, I guess?" Mark replied, looking genuinely perplexed.

"Well, what about life?" Izzie asked. "Are the nurses still united against Mark Sloan?"

"How'd you know about that?" Mark asked, disgruntled.

"Please, this place is a small town. Everyone knows everything about everyone," Izzie reminded him.

"Yeah, they're still united," Mark admitted.

"Ah, so that's why you're so grumpy. You're sexual possibilities pool is severely decreased and you're not used to having to put in effort," Izzie said knowingly. "You're horny and can't find anyone to help you scratch the itch."

Mark stared at her for a moment, glaring slightly. "I could find someone if I wanted to, it's just…I'm tired."

"Tired?"

"Tired of trying? Tired of being used for my body?" Mark said. "I'm not really sure what."

"Maybe you're just tired of being alone?" Izzie suggested softly.

"Maybe," Mark agreed. "Do you ever get tired of being alone, Stevens?"

"Yeah," Izzie said quietly. "Ever since Denny died, I've felt alone. Even when I was with George, a part of me always felt alone."

Mark nodded in understanding. "Want to keep each other company tonight?"

"Excuse me?"

"It can be purely pla-pla-pla" Mark stuttered.

"Platonic?" Izzie supplied, smirking slightly.

"Yeah, it can be that, if you want. Or, if you decide you want to scratch the itch, it can be that too," Mark explained. "Come on, you, me, some drinks, just saving each other from the perils of loneliness. What do you say?"

"I say…" Izzie paused, thinking quickly. She never really did anything spur of the moment, but the light of hope in Mark's usually licentious gaze tugged at her heart. "Your place or mine?"

_**A/N: Mwahaha. A wee bit of a cliffhanger, but don't worry, if you review, I'll update quickly! Let me know what you think of this plot etc. It stems from my frustration with the end of the latest episode. I HATE the Callie/McSteamy thing. Anywho, let me know what you think. If you guys like it, I'll continue!**_


	2. So Hurry Up and Get Here

Chapter 2

Izzie led the way into Meredith's house. It was eerily quiet. Alex was somewhere with Rebecca. Meredith was staying at the hospital to do research for her clinical trial, so Mark and Izzie had the house all to themselves.

"So, this is Grey's place, huh?" Mark commented as they removed their jackets.

"Well, technically it's Meredith, Alex and my place, but yes, Meredith owns this house," Izzie said. "Um, five-cent tour, kitchen, bathroom, living room, den and bedrooms are upstairs."

"This is nice," Mark said, glancing around. "Very homey. Makes my hotel room look as sterile as an O.R."

"You've been here for almost 6 months and you still live in a hotel?" Izzie asked, looking genuinely shocked. "Who lives in a hotel for 6 months?"

"I do," Mark said, sounding slightly offended. "I don't have time to go and deal with stupid realtors and look at a million apartments. I have even less time to buy the furniture and stuff necessary for living in an apartment, so the hotel is practical."

"But there's something great about having some place to go to after work that's _yours_, that is a reflection on you and your personality," Izzie pointed out. "That's one of my favorite things about being an adult, being able to have my own space to do whatever I want."

"So where does Meredith keep the booze?" Mark asked, changing the subject.

"Ah, Cristina's favorite question," Izzie teased. "Um, follow me into the kitchen and I'll get you some of Derek's Scotch stash."

After she had poured Mark a tumbler of Scotch, Izzie paused for a minute.

"What?" Mark asked, taking a sip.

"I just got the urge to bake," Izzie said.

"Bake?"

"Bake. Whenever I'm stressed, or something's bothering me, I bake. Have you ever baked before?"

"Um, not that I recall," Mark said, looking slightly confused. "I vaguely remember watching Derek's mom bake cookies when we were kids, but I never did the actually work. Why?"

"Because you're going to bake with me," Izzie said decisively. Mark looked truly baffled. "Oh come on! It won't detract from your masculinity to spend one night cooking. You did want to hang out with me tonight, right?"

"Right…"

'Well, when I have the urge to bake, I have to bake," Izzie explained. "And you get to help. Come on, baking's very cathartic and freeing. I promise you'll feel better when we're done."

After he took her in persuasive smile and the childish excitement in her big brown eyes, he rolled his eyes and caved. "Alright. Where do we start?"

MIMIMIMI

They spent the next two hours preparing and mixing three different kinds of cupcakes. Izzie moved through the kitchen like a flighty pixie, sprinkling her baking magic over everything she touched. Mark had never been one to be drawn to the domestic type; he usually went for the shallow beauties that didn't care that they were just one night stands. However, he must be changing his preferences because Izzie, through the simple act of baking cupcakes, was turning him on in a way that he couldn't begin to fathom. He hadn't exactly planned on being attracted to Izzie, but it wasn't a horrible thought to contemplate.

"What's next?" Mark asked, almost excitedly as Izzie slipped the pans of cupcakes into the oven.

"Next, we make the frosting," Izzie replied.

"What kind of frosting? We have several varieties of cupcakes," he pointed out.

Izzie gave him a look that said "duh." "We're making chocolate frosting, of course."

"How silly of me," Mark scoffed. "Asking a woman what kind of frosting."

"Did you know that some people think eating chocolate gives you the same feeling as having sex?" Izzie asked a short while later as she licked some stray frosting from her finger. She was actually having fun _baking_ with McSteamy of all people. Plus, there was something mildly attractive about seeing a thoroughly masculine guy like him covered in flour and being domestic and…comfortable.

"Really?" Mark mused, looking at the frosting. A devilish, seductive smile spread across Mark's face. He dipped a finger in the frosting and examined it for a minute. "Let's test that theory." Before Izzie could react, he dabbed the frosting on the tip of her nose. Her mouth dropped open slightly as he leaned in and kissed off the frosting he had just put on her nose. "Hmm…It's might be true, but I think it deserves another test."

This time, he spread the frosting over her lower lip before moving in to slowly lick it off. Once the full pink lip was clean, he paused for a second, then leaned in and kissed her fully on the mouth. For a brief moment, she didn't respond. Then, she leaned in and returned the kiss, measure for measure.

In no time at all, the cupcakes and frosting were forgotten as Mark cupped Izzie's sweetly curved butt and lifted her up onto the counter, never breaking the kiss. Soon, Izzie was topless and her skirt was hiked up around her waist, panties now adorning the nearby knife rack. Mark wasted no time in the follow through, quickly joining with Izzie in a way he had never experienced before.

_**A/N: Yay, McStizzie action. Maybe not as graphic as some would prefer, but this is my first attempt to even mention foreplay. I know it's a little abrupt, but trust me, it's worth it. But, ah, what will be the outcome? Not stereotypical, believe me. PLEASE REVIEW! **_


	3. Looking Back on Old Love or Lack Thereof

Chapter 3

The timer for the cupcakes buzzed them out of their sated haze. Gently, pushing Mark away, Izzie nervously threw on her white top, sans bra, and hurried to turn off the buzzer and remove the cupcakes. Once the hot cupcake pans covered the counter between them, Izzie met Mark's unwavering steel blue gaze, her lips pursed in a very perturbed way.

"What's going on inside that head of yours, Stevens?" he asked, huskily.

"I'm just running things through in my head, making sure I actually just had sex with you in the kitchen of the house that I share with two of my friends," Izzie said, drumming her fingers on the counter. "Because I am so not that girl."

"What girl?"

"I'm not the girl who has random sex with the overly horny attending in the house she shares with her friends. I don't _have_ random sex!" Mark raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I had random sex once! And that was under the influence of an excessive amount of alcohol." She didn't feel the need to mention Alex and the day of the bomb. "I don't even have the excuse of alcohol this time! I was totally _sober_ and I still had sex with you."

"It wasn't that terrible, was it?" Mark asked, looking a bit offended and more than a little hurt.

"The sex itself? No, that wasn't terrible. It was pretty amazing actually," she commented, blushing. "The concept of the sex, however? Yes. I have worked very hard to not end up in the messy complicated world of sleeping with my boss. I have crossed every other line as far as relationships went, but that one until today. Oh, God, I really am a whore. I'm a slutty, nympho whore! I mean, I was a whore before with the whole teen pregnancy thing and the sleeping with Alex and then falling in love with Denny and then sleeping with my best friend and ruining his marriage, but this solidifies it. I will forever be the stereotypical blonde whore who can't keep her pants up." Izzie would have kept on ranting if she hadn't seen the flabbergasted look on Mark's face.

"What the hell? Breathe, Stevens," Mark said, walking around to stand in front of her. "Izzie, it was sex. It was sex between two healthy, single people who were apparently attracted enough to each other and alone enough to need a way to take the edge off. It doesn't make you a whore or a stereotypical blonde. It makes you a normal female in her twenties who is spending the night in the company of a horny man in his thirties. Ok?"

Izzie took a deep, calming breath. "Ok."

"Is this gonna be awkward?" Mark asked suspiciously. "Because I was actually having fun here and I would really hate for it to get awkward. I haven't been able to relax like this in a while."

"I don't know," Izzie said, looking unsure. "I don't want it to be awkward either. I haven't ever baked with anyone and it was nice to just _be. _We shouldn't make this awkward. I _need_ someone I can just hang out with. George is too busy with his new friends. So, we definitely won't make this awkward."

"Now that we're in agreement on that, what were you rambling about? Teen pregnancy? Sleeping with Karev?" Mark asked, drawing her over to sit on the bar stools.

"Let's just say I have a dark and twisty past that I am so not proud of," Izzie said evasively.

"Bet I can beat ya," Mark promised.

"Put on a shirt, grab the cupcakes, meet me in the living room and you're on," Izzie challenged, grabbing two mugs of the coffee she had started during their baking spree before exiting the war-torn kitchen. Mark quickly did as she asked and followed.

MIMIMIMI

"Ok, so should we start off easy or go for the gut?" Izzie asked, taking a big bite of a strawberry cupcake.

"Why don't we go for the gut? Everything else will seem so easy after that," Mark reasoned. "Ladies first."

"Ok…" Izzie took a fortifying breath. "I grew up in a trailer park. No one talked about birth control or anything, so when I was 16, my boyfriend at the time got me pregnant. I don't believe in abortions and I frankly couldn't afford one, so I had the baby and gave it up for adoption. It didn't save me from being branded in high school, but I knew I wanted better for my baby and for me. She went to parents who could give her more than I ever could have."

"Do you ever regret it?" Mark asked softly.

"What? Not having an abortion? Never. Giving her up? Sometimes. I've kept track of her over the years. I even donated bone marrow to her last year when her donor fell through and her leukemia got too bad to wait any longer." Izzie dashed away a tear that had spilled over. "Wow, I've never told anyone but George and Bailey about Hannah. Alright, your turn to spill, Dr. Sloan."

"Hmm, which one to start with," Mark mused mockingly. "Well, since you started with your childhood, I'll start with mine. I grew up in a New York society family. My parents went to all the best party, had all the best things, and lived the perfect rich people lives. They didn't care about being parents. A constantly changing regiment of nannies raised my twin sister and me. Some of them were nice, some of them were hard-core bitches. It didn't matter to my parents, as long as Kat and I were model children. Kat was wonderful and sweet and perfect. She was always there, always understood me. Sometimes she knew what I was thinking without me even having to tell her. As we got older, I became more and more rebellious. Derek and Kat tried to rein me in as best they could, but by the time I was 16, nothing could stop me. One night I got into an epic fight with Dad about my grades and getting ready for college and my behavior and when it got to be too much, I took off. Derek was at some band thing and Kat insisted on going with me. I was so livid I could barely see straight. Kat tried to take my keys away to keep me from driving, but I wouldn't let her. I yelled at her to get in the damn car and let me drive. It was raining that night, so hard that I could barely see the road. As angry as I was, it was impossible. One minute we were driving along and the next everything went black. When I came to in the hospital, Derek was sitting by my bed, his eyes red from crying, telling me that I had skidded and hit a telephone pole and that Kat was dead. My sister, my twin, my other half was _dead_ because I was running away from a stupid fight with my ass of a father."

"Oh my God, Mark," Izzie breathed, her eyes full of compassion and empathy. "I'm so sorry."

"You want to know the worst part?" he said bitterly, swigging his beer. "The worst part was I didn't get to grieve. My parents made sure that every day I knew it was my fault Kat was dead and that they wished it had been me."

"It wasn't your fault. It was an accident," Izzie said loyally. "You were a kid, for God's sake! I'm living proof that kids make mistakes."

"It's been 20 years, and thousands of dollars in therapy, but I still find that hard to believe," Mark said. "Derek used to say that's why I could never keep a girl around, because I was so close to Kat. One night when we were drunk, his sister, Kathleen, who's a shrink, even said that she thought I wouldn't settle down until I found a woman who was enough like Kat to heal me. Crazy, huh?"

"Not so crazy," Izzie said. "I know it's weird, but I believe that there are some things that are cosmically meant to be in their own weird way. Maybe Kathleen's right. Who knows?"

Mark studied her for a moment. "Yeah, who knows?"

_**A/N: More true confessions of McStizzie to come. A little heavy, but I've always wanted to explore why exactly Mark is so disturbed and flippant about his relationships with women. Slight hint for next chapter: Mark's reflections on Addison's abortion and Izzie's thoughts post-Gizzie. PLEASE REVIEW!!**_


	4. After All the Crushes Are Faded

Chapter 4

"Well, now that we've covered our wonderfully screwed up youths, shall we move on to our even more wonderfully screwed up adulthoods?" Mark asked, more than a twinge of bitterness in his voice as he took another bite of cupcake.

"Oh, yes, let's," Izzie said with false enthusiasm. "I really didn't have a terrible adult life until I came to Seattle Grace. I worked my way through school as a model. I had a steady boyfriend who had a steady job. Then I got here and something happened and everything went south."

"How so?"

"Hmm, let's recap, shall we?" Izzie said, ticking things off on her fingers as she listed them. "I tried to start a relationship with Alex, he cheated on me with George's skanky syph nurse, then we tried just having sex, but that didn't work out. Then, I fell in love with a transplant patient, cut his L-VAD wires, which ultimately led to his death, but only after he proposed. Not long after that, I had drunken sex with my best friend and ended his marriage, then tried to have a romantic relationship with said best friend, which failed epically. Now, I am a miserable, single girl who can't even be a decent surgeon anymore because my head's all over the place."

"Ok, so, some not so awesome things have happened since you moved to Seattle," Mark conceded. "I've had worse for a lot longer."

"Really?"

"Really," Mark insisted, mimicking her listing on his fingers. "Let's see, I worked my way through med school doing any sort of job I could find. Then, once I finally had a stable life set up without any influence from my family, I screwed it all up by sleeping with my best friend's wife because I thought I was in love with her. However, me being me, I couldn't even make that last. To top off that catastrophe, Addison ended up pregnant and"

"Addison was _pregnant?" _Izzie asked, totally surprised.

"Yeah, she told me about it and I went out and bought this little Yankees onesie. I was so excited," Mark said, smiling ruefully. "I was finally going to get the family that I had always wanted."

"What happened?" Izzie asked. "Did she miscarry?"

"Nope," Mark said shortly. "She aborted the baby, _my _baby, like it was a piece of garbage. I was ready to step up and be that guy; I wanted to be the guy in Central Park who plays catch with his son or spins his daughter around until she's dizzy. And she took that from me, without even considering the possibility that I could be ready, that I wasn't just a piece of man-candy. That's what every woman I meet sees me as, man-candy, and it's getting old. Hell, I'm getting old. I want to be able to have a home, with a woman I love and kids I adore waiting for me."

"Not to be critical, but, if you want all that, why are you sleeping with every female at Seattle Grace?" Izzie asked. "Why aren't you dating or at least trying to get to know the women you sleep with before jumping into bed with them?"

"See, that was the kicker. Addison, someone I had known for almost 15 years, didn't want to have a baby with me. She thought I would be a terrible father," Mark revealed. "Torres said I would be a terrible father. I don't know a whole lot about kids and I've never really tried to spend any time with them. Derek's nieces and nephews are all right in small doses, but I don't know."

"You're putting your entire future on hold because Addison and _Callie_ think you won't be a good father?" Izzie spat out. "What would they know? They're both selfish bitches. Addison held on to Derek even though she knew he was in love with Meredith and Callie married George right after his dad died and then was actually surprised that it didn't work out. The fact that you want to be a good father means that you will be. As clichéd as it sounds, you can be anything you put your mind to."

"Maybe you're right, Stevens," Mark conceded. "I just don't know."

"Izzie. My name is Izzie."

"Ok, _Izzie_," Mark said. "What was the deal with you and O'Malley?"

"I dunno," Izzie replied honestly. "I don't even know why we started. One second we were getting smashed and the next we were having sex. I woke up thinking I had had incredible sex with my best friend and that I was in love with him. At least, I thought I was in love with him. Then everything just fell apart. He ended things with Callie and we waited a bit out of respect for her, but when we finally had sex again, all that magic that I thought was there was gone, like it had never existed in the first place. In retrospect, I think I just missed Denny and wanted George to be Denny, but I know now that no one can be Denny and I've accepted that. Now, I just miss my best friend. I miss the George that I could go lie in bed with and rant and rave to after a hard day. But, I'm beginning to see that that George is probably gone forever."

"What about Meredith and Yang? Isn't there like some girl bond or whatever there?"

"To a certain extent, but not really. They have some sort of impenetrable wall around their friendship that the rest of us can't get around," Izzie explained. "As a result, I am currently a lonely, friendless home wrecker."

"You're not friendless." Izzie sent him a perplexed look. "I don't tell someone everything I just told you without considering them a friend. With Derek all wrapped up in Grey and Rose and Callie being such a bitch, I need a friend too. So, we'll be each others friend?"

"We'll be each others friend," Izzie agreed.

_**A/N: Ok, so they are friends now. That should be the end of the dark-twistiness for a while. Now, the McStizzie friendship will flourish. YAY! PLEASE REVIEW! ANY feedback would be greatly appreciated. **_


	5. I'm Not Sure Who I'm Looking For

_A/N: Set during "The Becoming."_

Chapter 5

"Good morning, friend," Mark said cheerfully, placing a mocha in front of Izzie as she stood at the nurses' station looking at charts. Izzie returned his grin.

"Good morning to you too, friend," she returned. "Thank you for the coffee. I'm going to need it today."

"Long day ahead?"

"Oh, just the usual dealings with interns, plus I have to tell a patient some news that's going to make my life even more difficult," Izzie explained.

"Why would telling a patient something affect your life?" Mark asked, frowning a bit in concern.

"Because, it's possible that this patient is involved with one of my roommates and that this news is going to have a possible giant impact on their relationship," Izzie said evasively.

"It's that Rebecca chick isn't it?" Mark guessed. "Karev is still hung up on her?"

"Oh, he's more than hung up on her," Izzie said. "He's planning on moving in with her and everything. They think she's pregnant, but she's not. They're getting ready to change their whole lives for a baby that doesn't exist. The worst part is I can't get a hold of Rebecca to tell her about her test results."

"Wow," Mark whistled. "You are going to have a long day."

"Tell me about it," Izzie sighed heavily, taking a long sip of her mocha. "What about you? How's your day shaping up?"

"Well, I've got a couple of surgeries scheduled for today, but other than that, it's turning out to be a pretty mellow day," Mark replied. "Do you want to meet at Joe's tonight?"

"Um, yeah, sure," Izzie agreed. "I'm off at 8, so I'll meet you there sometime after 8:30."

"See you then," Mark said, giving her one last smile before walking off to check on his patients.

MIMIMIMI

"Fill out the form and return it before then end of the day."

Izzie looked up from her charts to see George holding out a piece of paper. "What?"

"Fill out the form about any staff member you've slept with and turn it in to the Chief's office by the end of the day," George repeated in monotone.

"That should be easy," Izzie replied, taking out her pin and jotting down _Dr. Alex Karev, Dr. George O'Malley,_ and then, with a self-satisfied grin, _Dr. Mark Sloan._ "There you go."

George glanced at the form. "MARK SLOAN?!" he exclaimed. "Since we have you slept with _Mark Sloan_?"

"Not that it's any of your business, we had a little encounter last night," Izzie said. "It's no big deal. We're friends who needed to scratch an itch."

"_Mark Sloan?"_ George exclaimed again.

"Yes, George, we've established that I had sex with Mark Sloan. What's the big deal?" Izzie asked.

"He's-he's- he's _Mark Sloan,_" George stammered. "Since when are you friends with Mark Sloan?"

"Since you started to find new friends," Izzie retorted. "He's good company and he wants to spend time with me. I'm allowed to have other male friends besides you and Alex."

"But why? Why him? Why the biggest manwhore in the hospital?"

"Because he's not a manwhore and he's a genuinely nice guy," Izzie said, gritting her teeth. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do and I'm sure you have more of those ridiculous forms to hand out."

Izzie stalked off in high dungeon, as George stood there speechless.

MIMIMIMI

Later that evening on her way out of the hospital to meet Mark at Joe's, she came across her new friend sitting dejectedly in the lobby. He had on his leather jacket and looked ready to leave, but he was simply staring into space.

"Hey you, what's up?" Izzie asked, sitting down next to him.

"I'm a whore," he said softly. "One of the people I respect most in this hospital defended me to the nurses today because they've been boycotting my surgeries and introducing the whole date-and-tell policy and the best defense she could come up with is that I'm a whore and they should have known that going into anything with me."

Izzie felt a rush of affection and sympathy mixed with pity for the rugged, bruised, but not broken man next to her. "Oh, Mark."

"The sad thing is, I can't think of anything she said that wasn't dead-on."

"God, I hate the nurses here," Izzie muttered. "Mark, you are so much more than the whore you show everyone. You are a brilliant surgeon and a good man underneath all that bravado and bullshit. Bailey doesn't know you outside of what you let the outside world see. You just need to cool it with all of the flirtatiousness and just be you. Take a break from women."

"_What?"_ Mark asked incredulously.

"Take a break from women," Izzie repeated with a chuckle. "Try being truly single for a while. Get comfortable just _being_ and then maybe start looking for a woman to start that family you want with. When you're at the hospital, try just being Dr. Sloan instead of Dr. McSteamy. See how it goes."

"Dr. Sloan, huh?" Mark said skeptically. "Will you help me? Will you help me learn how to just be Dr. Sloan?"

"I think I could do that," Izzie agreed. "What are friends for if not to help each other become better people?"

_**A/N: There you go. I wanted to explore their relationship in the aftermath of last week's episode. Hopefully, I'll get into real McStizzie-ness in the next chapter or two. PLEASE REVIEW!!**_


	6. She Sees Something More

A/N: New song for new phase in the story. In Her Eyes belongs to Josh Groban, who I am in love with!

Chapter 6

It had been a month and a half since Mark had decided to take Izzie's advice and just be himself by himself. In that time, his friendship with Izzie had grown exponentially. They met nearly every day for lunch and hung out together every night they could after work. Sometimes they'd go to Joe's, sometimes they'd go to a movie, but other times they'd just go to his hotel room and sit and talk, share a few drinks and relax. They rarely went to her house because Meredith and Alex were always around and while they didn't want to hide their friendship, they didn't really want they're time together interrupted by the insanity that was her house. Mark was doing well with his new project. He was polite and professional at all times in the walls of Seattle Grace and outside of it, he was indifferent to any woman but Izzie. The nurses seemed to have forgiven him and had started working with him again. Life was relatively happy, all things considered.

One morning, almost exactly seven weeks since the beginning of their friendship, Izzie was up at five in the morning, emptying the contents of her stomach into her toilet. She had felt nauseous the past two or three mornings, but this was the first time the nausea had manifested itself and she was not enjoying it.

"Izzie? Iz? You ok in there?" Alex called through the door. He sounded tired; he had spent the past month and a half dealing with Rebecca and her illness.

"I'm fine," Izzie called back hoarsely. "I'll be out in just a second!"

Izzie's mind was racing. She had dismissed the earlier nausea as bad food or a bug, but now, she wasn't so sure. She tried to think back on when her last period was, but she couldn't remember. _Shit._ Could she really be pregnant?

MIMIMI

Mark was surprised when he found Izzie in his office that morning lying on his couch looking exhausted and a little green around the gills.

"Iz? You ok?" he asked, squatting next to the couch, smoothing her limp hair away from her forehead. She didn't respond, just gave him a baleful look.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked again, now fully concerned. "Do you have the flu? What is it?"

Izzie met his gaze for a long while. "I think I might be pregnant," she whispered.

"Pregnant?" Mark repeated softly.

Izzie nodded tearfully. "I've felt nauseous the past couple mornings and this morning I spent an hour puking up my guts and the last time I remember having my period was before you and I became friends and well, we did kinda forget any sort of protection…"

"Have you done a test or anything?" Mark asked.

"No, I wanted to tell you before I did anything," Izzie explained. "I thought you might want to be there for it all."

"Yeah," Mark breathed, mentally shaking his head to regain focus. "Why don't I go take some blood and we'll take it to the lab and get our answer before we do anything else?"

"Ok," Izzie said quietly, allowing him to pull her up off the couch and escort her out of the office to an exam room. His hand remained protectively on the small of her back the whole way there.

MIMIMI

"Lab results for Isobel Stevens?" the tech said, holding out a piece of paper to Mark, who had been hovering around the lab with Izzie for the past half-hour. They had sent the test to the lab that morning and had gone anxiously through their day waiting for the results.

"Thanks," Mark said, snatching the paper out of his hand and quickly reading it.

"Well?" Izzie asked anxiously.

"You're pregnant," Mark said, trying not to betray any emotion, waiting for her response.

"I'm pregnant," Izzie repeated, slowly processing the news, moving towards cautious excitement. "I'm really pregnant. Good Lord, this is so surreal. Seriously. I'm going to have a baby!"

"Yeah, you are," Mark said softly, not meeting her eyes.

"So are you," Izzie pointed out, jabbing him in the chest.

"I am?" Mark replied, a spark of hope dawning in his steely eyes.

"Of course you are," Izzie said, rolling her eyes and dragging him over to some nearby chairs. Once they were seated, she took his hands in hers. "Mark Aiden Sloan, do you really think I would have this baby and not let you be a part of his or her life?" Izzie asked him.

"I wasn't sure," Mark admitted. "I didn't know if you'd want to keep the baby or if you wanted me to be a part of its life or if you even wanted to consider me the father."

"Ok, one, I'd never give up another child, especially not now that I have a good job and a good home and I would never, _ever_ abort one. And two, you're the one who's been a wreck since Addison aborted your baby. Do you really think I would do that to you again? You _are_ this baby's father, whether you like it or not, and I want my child to have a father. I never did and neither did Meredith and just look at us now. Our baby is going to need you, Mark," Izzie insisted. "Besides, who else is going to be my slave and get me food when I have cravings and rub my feet once I start to swell up like a balloon?"

"So, we're going to do this? We're going to be friends and parents?" Mark asked, taking a deep breath.

"We are. We are going to be the best damn parents this kid could ask for," Izzie asserted, standing up.

Mark just stared at her for a moment. Then, he stood up and wrapped her in his warm, well-muscled arms, giving her a hug full of every emotion coursing through his body at that moment. "Thank you," he whispered. "You'll never know how much this means to me."

"You're welcome," Izzie whispered in return. "You deserve to be happy and so do I and so does this baby. And we will be."

_**A/N: Yay, McStizzie baby! Please review. I know having them have a baby is a little clichéd, but I couldn't help myself. **_


	7. Her Truth Makes Me Stronger

_**A/N: Yay! Thank you for all of the reviews! They make my days more Bright and Shiny! So, as a reward, the longest chapter yet! Enjoy! **_

Chapter 7

"I think we should tell the Chief today," Mark said as they met outside the residents' locker room the next morning.

"Excuse me?" Izzie said, choking a little on her hot chocolate.

"I think we need to tell the Chief that you're pregnant today," Mark repeated.

"Why? Isn't it bad luck to tell until after the first trimester?" Izzie looked a little nervous.

"It might be bad luck to make it common knowledge, but I would feel better if at least the Chief, and probably Bailey, knew that you were pregnant so they can keep an eye on you," Mark explained patiently.

"But I'm already so far behind on everything," Izzie complained. "I've been in such a funk since the whole George thing I haven't been on my game and I feel like I'm behind. If we tell them, the Chief will start Mommy-tracking me and making me take lighter shifts and I don't want to get further behind."

"I won't let them Mommy-track you. Bailey won't let you be Mommy-tracked," Mark insisted. "I just want to know that you're being looked after when I can't do the job. I want you and this baby to be perfectly healthy. If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."

"Find another friend who would keep you honest?" Izzie suggested.

"There's only one Izzie," Mark retorted.

"So true," Izzie agreed. "Alright, if it will make you feel better, we can go tell the Chief and Bailey today."

"Thank you," Mark said graciously. "Let's go now before you have to start rounds. He's probably still in his office."

Sure enough, the Chief was sitting behind his big desk when they arrived at his office.

"Dr. Sloan, Dr. Stevens," the Chief greeted them, a little perplexed to see them together. "What can I do for you today?"

"Actually, Chief, we just came by to share some news with you," Mark said, his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. He removed one and put it protectively on Izzie's shoulder as he said, "Izzie and I are going to have a baby."

"A baby?" the Chief repeated. "You and Izzie are having a baby- together?"

"Yes, sir," Izzie said quietly. "It wasn't planned or anything, it just happened, but we're very happy about it."

"So you two are a couple now?"

"No, sir," Izzie replied quickly. "We're just two friends who are having a baby together."

"I just wanted you to be aware of the situation, sir," Mark explained. "We also plan to let Dr. Bailey know. I'll feel better knowing that someone with authority will be looking out for Izzie, making sure she doesn't overwork herself. She's also had a couple of bad bouts of morning sickness that might interfere with her work for a little while."

"Well, um, congratulations, I guess," the Chief said, still looking a little confused. "And of course Miranda and I will keep an eye on Izzie."

"Thank you, sir," Mark said, quickly escorting Izzie out of the room. Just as they exited the Chief's office, they ran into the Chief Resident herself, Miranda Bailey.

"Dr. Bailey, just the woman we were looking for," Mark greeted her.

"Who'd you piss off now, Dr. Sloan?" Bailey asked, looking mildly annoyed. "Stevens? Did he somehow offend you?"

"Um, no," Izzie said, slightly taken aback. "Quite the opposite actually."

"Izzie's pregnant," Mark said quietly.

"With your baby, I assume," Bailey said.

"Yes," Mark said. "She's only 7 weeks along, but I thought you and the Chief should be told, just to make sure everything goes alright and she doesn't overtire herself or do anything stupid."

"All of you are nasty. Nasty, nasty, nasty," Bailey muttered. "Congratulations, Stevens. Dr. Sloan, if you don't take care of that girl and her baby, you'll have me to answer to."

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to either of them," Mark said, giving Izzie a side hug.

"Alright, well, Stevens, go find your interns. Dr. Sloan, I'm sure you have a surgery or something important to do."

Mark and Izzie walked off together. "So, I'll meet you for lunch?" Mark asked, pausing by the stairwell.

"Yeah, I'll meet you around one," Izzie said, distractedly.

"Hey, you okay?" Mark asked, studying her slightly pale face.

"Um, I'm fine," Izzie replied. "I'm just a little tired and a bit nauseous."

"Do you want me to get you anything for the nausea?" Mark looked ready to run to get whatever she required.

"Once I get to work I should be fine," Izzie insisted. "You go, be Rock Star Plastic Surgeon. I've got to deal with stupid interns."

"Take it easy, alright?" Mark admonished.

"Don't worry, I will," Izzie promised.

MIMIMIMI

"Hey, stranger," a voice purred behind Mark as he stood at the nurses' station examining a chart. He was just finding a stopping point in his morning's work to go meet Izzie for lunch.

"Dr. Torres, is there something I can help you with?" Mark asked politely, stiffening as she pressed up against him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Yeah, you can meet me in the on-call room," Callie said, seductively. "Because I'm lonely and I'm horny and since all of the nurses aren't gossiping about you, I'm sure you are too."

"Sorry, Dr. Torres, I'm no longer available for consultations in on-call rooms or supply closets or anywhere else illicit altercations occur," Mark informed her.

"No longer available? Since when?" Callie asked. "I thought that was just that one night. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's _wrong_ with me," Mark said coolly. "I've turned over a new leaf. I am not Dr. McSteamy anymore. I am Mark Sloan, Plastic Surgeon, friend, and most importantly, a man with real feelings. I'm no longer a no-strings guy. Find another man-whore to scratch the itch. Or better yet, why don't you get your little girlfriend, Erica Hahn, to scratch the itch for you?"

With that, Mark put his chart in the rack and turned on his heel, to find Izzie semi-discreetly hiding around the corner. He couldn't help but grin at her, knowing she had heard everything and she was trying to suppress a smile.

"Ready for lunch, Dr. Stevens?" he asked, holding out his arm for her to take.

"Of course, Dr. Sloan," Izzie said, quickly glancing at Callie long enough to see her glowering at them, before allowing Mark to escort her to lunch.

MIMIMIMI

Later that day, Mark was sitting at his computer, looking at baby name websites, when Derek walked in the room.

"Hey, I know you," Mark teased, glancing up from the computer. "You're that guy who used to be my best friend, right? I can't be sure, because I haven't seen him in a while."

"Haha, you're a funny guy," Derek said, collapsing in one of the chairs positioned in front of the desk.

"How've you been?" Mark asked. "How're things with the whole Grey-Rose love triangle?"

"Um, things are going surprisingly well," Derek said, giving Mark a suspicious look. "Rose is history. Meredith and I are taking things slow. Did you really just ask me a personal question before saying anything about yourself or how many women you've been with?"

"Yes, I did," Mark replied, sounding slightly offended. "You're my friend, last I heard you were going through a hard time with your personal life, so I thought I'd ask. I'm turning over a new leaf. I'm the new and improved, mature Mark Sloan."

"Really?" Derek chuckled. Mark sent him a glare before returning his attention to the computer screen. "And what are you looking at?" Derek leaned forward and caught a glimpse of the site's banner before Mark quickly exited. "You're looking at a baby name website?"

"So?' Mark retorted. "What's wrong with that?"

"You wouldn't do that unless…You finally got someone pregnant, didn't you?" Derek accused.

"It's not as sordid as you just implied, but yes, I am going to be a father," Mark replied. "And I'm…happy about it. I can't wait to be a father."

"Are you exclusively with this person who is carrying your child?" Derek asked.

"Technically, no," Mark hedged.

"Technically?"

"I haven't slept with anyone else since I've been with her and I'm pretty sure she hasn't been seeing anyone else," Mark explained, smiling slightly at the thought of his relationship with Izzie.

Derek stared at him incredulously. "You're not only having a baby with this woman, but you're starting to fall for her, aren't you?"

"No," Mark denied. Then he paused. "Ok, maybe. I don't know. I like her a lot and I enjoy spending time with her. She makes me laugh and I care a lot about her, but falling for her? I dunno."

"Wow," Derek breathed.

"What?"

"I'm jealous," Derek admitted.

"_You_ are jealous of _me_?" Mark asked.

"Yeah. Look at you. You're growing and maturing and you're falling for a woman. Plus, you're going to be a dad. How cool is that?"

Mark studied his friend, turning his words over and over in his head. "Yeah. How cool is that?"

_**A/N: Derek doesn't need to know everything. I hate Callie. As you can see, McStizzie-ness is slowly growing. More baby stuff and McStizzie interaction in the next chapter, but only if you REVIEW!! PLEASE!! **_


	8. This World Keeps on Spinning

Chapter 8

Over the next month and a half, Izzie and Mark kept silent about the pregnancy. Derek still hadn't figured out whom Mark had gotten pregnant. He was so consumed in building his relationship with Meredith that he hadn't noticed that Mark and Izzie were constantly meeting up in the halls to talk and having lunch together. Mark had been slightly over-protective and Izzie chided him for it, but secretly, she didn't mind him fussing over her. She was now safely into her second trimester and they had their first appointment scheduled for that afternoon. If the doctor said everything was fine, they were going to tell their friends after the appointment.

For the sake of convenience, they had scheduled an appointment with the new OB/GYN attending, Dr. McDaniel. Izzie was sitting on the exam table in a hospital gown and Mark was sitting on a stool next to the table, telling her about one of his more high-maintenance patients. They both looked up when a man, in his early 30s, wearing a lab coat and dark blue scrubs, entered the room.

"Hello, I'm Dr. McDaniel," he said in a light Scottish brogue. He flashed Izzie a quick, charming smile. "You must be Isobel Stevens. And you are?" He sent Mark a questioning glance.

"Dr. Mark Sloan, Head of Plastics," Mark said, giving the other man a wary look. "I'm the father."

"Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Sloan," Dr. McDaniel said politely. "Well, Isobel, you're chart says that you are at 13 weeks?"

"Yes," Izzie replied. "This is the first chance we've had to schedule an appointment. Residency is a little crazy, especially trying to get in as much as I can before the baby comes."

"Well, let's take a look, shall we?" Dr. McDaniel proceeded to do a quick and efficient exam before bringing over the ultrasound machine.

"This will be a little cold," he said, squirting the gel on Izzie's still flat abdomen. He moved the wand over her abdomen until a gentle thumping sound filled the room and a picture appeared on the screen.

"Wow," Mark breathed. "I am so not worthy."

Izzie laughed. "You so are."

"That's our baby, Iz," Mark said. "We made that."

"Yeah, we did," Izzie agreed. "Everything looks fine, right?"

"Everything looks perfect. Everything is developing nicely. You're vitals look good and the baby's heartbeat is strong," Dr. McDaniel assured her. "Since this isn't your first pregnancy, I'm sure you know the drill."

"Um," Izzie said, looking a little blindsided. "I haven't been pregnant in almost 12 years, but I know the drill from being a doctor."

"Well, make sure you drink plenty of fluids, cut back on caffeine and eat right," Dr. McDaniel said, shifting uncomfortably. "Come back in about 4 weeks and we should be able to determine the gender."

"Thank you," Mark said distractedly. The doctor left and Izzie quickly put her scrubs back on. Mark could tell she was still out of sorts. "Iz, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Izzie insisted. Mark sent her a pointed, probing look. "It just kind of threw me when he mentioned my first pregnancy. I hadn't even thought about Hannah in the context of this baby. What will she think if she ever decides to meet me? I gave her up because I thought she deserved better than a single mother living in a trailer park. Will she think that I didn't love her? That she didn't mean anything to me? I mean, here I am, having another baby out of wedlock, but I'm keeping it. What will she think?"

"Izzie, any daughter of yours is going to be smart enough to realize your situation now is completely different than your situation when you had her," Mark assured her. "You're older and more stable now. You've got a good, well-paying job, a solid roof over your head and you're out of debt. And you're not going into this alone. Some teenage miscreant who couldn't keep it in his pants didn't knock you up. You are having a child with a well known, wealthy, involved man who will do whatever is necessary to take care of you and this baby. Hannah will see that."

"You're getting good at this whole friend thing, you know," Izzie commented.

"Well, I have a good teacher," Mark said with a grin. "Now, who should we tell first?"

MIMIMIMI

Derek was examining the OR board when Mark and Izzie approached him.

"Mark, Izzie, how are you today?" he asked, smiling at his friends.

"We're doing very well," Mark said, winking at Izzie. "There's something we wanted to tell you."

"I'm pregnant," Izzie said.

"You're the one he got pregnant?" Derek look completely surprised. "When did you two start this?"

"Um, well, I'm 13 weeks along, but we're just friends," Izzie quickly said.

"Well, congratulations," Derek said, giving Izzie a quick hug, before pulling Mark into a man hug.

"Thanks," Mark said, a grin tugging at his lips. "Well, we've got to go find Izzie's cohorts and tell them the news."

MIMIMIMI

"George!" Izzie said, spotting her friend in the hall and waving him over to her and Mark.

"Oh, hey Izzie," George said, nervously, joining them. "Um, hi, Dr. Sloan. What can I do for you?"

"Well, um, you see, George," Izzie started.

"Just spit it out, Iz," George said, a little kindness in his voice.

"I'm pregnant," Izzie said. George looked like a deer caught in headlights until Mark quickly jumped in.

"With my baby," Mark clarified.

"Oh, um, congratulations?" George said, a frown knitting his brow.

"We're both very happy about this, George," Izzie said. "We're going to raise this baby together as friends. It's a good thing."

"Ok, well, if you're happy, I'm happy," George said, still sounding skeptical.

"We've gotta go find Meredith and everyone else to tell them, but don't tell them if you see them. I want to be the one to tell them," Izzie admonished.

"Ok, well, um, I guess I'll see you around," George said, hurrying off down the hall.

"Well, that was sufficiently awkward," Mark said.

"Yeah, George is still more than a little uncomfortable with the fact that you and I slept together," Izzie said, with a heavy sigh, tears welling up in her big brown eyes. "I think he's also a little jealous that I can move on and have new friends too. God, I just wish he could be happy for me, for us. I always thought my best friend would be supportive about this kind of thing."

"Hey," Mark said, cupping her face with his warm, strong, capable hand. "It'll be ok. He'll come around eventually. Just give him time to get used to the idea. Let's go tell the rest of your friends."

MIMIMIMI

As luck would have it, they found Meredith, Cristina, Alex and Lexie all sitting around in the cafeteria, sipping coffee.

"Hey, Izzie," Meredith greeted. "Hey, Mark. What's up?"

"We have something we'd like to tell you all," Mark said.

"We? As in you and Izzie together?" Lexie clarified.

"Yes, Lexie, as in me and Mark have something to tell you," Izzie confirmed. "We're going to have a baby!"

They all stared at her in stunned silence for a moment. Then, Lexie bounced up to hug Izzie.

"A baby?" Lexie said. "Izzie, that's great! Congratulations! You too, Dr. Sloan."

"Thank you, Dr. Grey," Mark said.

"Yeah, um, congratulations," Meredith said. "That's great, Iz."

"Barbie and McSteamy are spawning?" Cristina said. "That's gonna be one tall, perfect kid. For what it's worth, congratulations, I guess."

Alex was the only one who hadn't said anything. He was glaring at his coffee cup, not looking at Mark and Izzie.

"Alex?" Izzie prompted.

"What do you want me to say, Iz?" Alex bit out. "That I'm happy for you? Well, I'm not. You want me to say congratulations? Fine! Congratulations for having a real pregnancy with a guy who's never committed to anyone. You spread your legs for McSteamy and you got knocked up and now you get to be all happy McFamily. Good for you! If you'll excuse me, I've got to go deal with my shitty life with my crazy girlfriend who makes up pregnancies."

With that, Alex stormed out of the cafeteria. Izzie looked hurt and stunned. "I can't- why, why would he say something like that?" Her voice broke as she sunk into the chair Alex had vacated. Mark sat on the arm of the chair and wrapped his arms around Izzie.

"He's just upset, Iz. He's having a hard time. You're just gonna have to let him be for a while," Mark soothed. "We're gonna be happy, remember?"

"Yeah," Izzie sniffled.

"Evil Spawn's panties are wound too tight right now," Cristina said, by way of comforting Izzie. "Let him deal with his Ava/Rebecca shit by himself."

"We're all really happy for you, Iz," Lexie assured her. "I can't wait to be an auntie."

"Oh, no, way, Grey," Mark teased. "You aren't coming around my kid until he or she is at least 18. You're a bad influence."

"Like you're not?' Meredith retorted.

"Yeah, but I'm the daddy," Mark pointed out. "It's my job to corrupt my own kid. Besides, I've turned over a new leaf. I am the new, responsible, sensitive Mark Sloan."

"Sure you are," Cristina said.

"He is," Izzie countered. "He really is."

_**A/N: Sorry, but I had to bring in moody, pissy Alex and weird George. They work in this context. PLEASE REVIEW!!**_


	9. She's My Inspiration

_A/N: Thank you all for your supportive reviews. This is kind of a filler chapter, but there's some character development , so ENJOY!_

Chapter 9

That night, rather than meeting up at Joe's, Mark and Izzie joined Derek and Meredith for a relaxing dinner. They all seemed to enjoy it, but Mark had a lurking feeling of…oddness. He had never done this before. He had never been a part of a…couple, for lack of a better word, who had dinner with another couple. He was always the third wheel or with some mindless bimbo he planned to lure into bed when he went out with Addison and Derek. It was nice. Izzie and Meredith were talking about their interns; he and Derek were discussing sports. It was…normal.

Now that everyone knew about the baby, Izzie seemed to be more relaxed. She was almost completely over the morning sickness and she was starting to get the pregnancy glow. Mark couldn't help but smile every time Izzie laughed or even giggled. Every now and then, he caught a shadow passing over her face and knew she was worrying about Alex and George.

Meredith and Derek offered to do the dishes, so Mark and Izzie retreated to the living room. Mark sat at one end of the couch while Izzie stretched out on the other end, her feet in his lap. Mark idly studied her finely shaped feet, ankles, and calves as he absently massaged her feet. Her toes were painted a delicate shade of pink. The part of her calves he could see were freshly shaved and silky smooth when he brushed his thumb across them. Izzie leaned back against an overstuffed pillow, her eyes closed, with an alternating pleased and worried look on her face. Her hand rested lightly over her abdomen.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Mark wondered aloud. He sent her an assessing look. "Are you worried about Karev and O'Malley?"

"I thought you were a plastic surgeon, not a mind reader," Izzie grumbled, cracking on eye to give him a disgruntled look.

"Yours is the only one I care to attempt to read, princess," Mark said modestly. "Now, why are you sitting there stewing over Karev and O'Malley?"

"They're my friends, Mark, and I really want them to be happy for me," Izzie said. "I want them to accept this baby. I want my kid to be able to have Uncle Georgie and Uncle Alex to play with him or her. I had wanted George to be a godparent."

"Oh, Iz," Mark sighed. "George didn't seem necessarily upset or mad at you. He seemed more hurt than anything else. And maybe just a little jealous."

"Jealous? Why would he be jealous?" Izzie asked. Then, realization dawned. "Oh, God. I'm a terrible, horrible friend."

"What?" Mark said. "Why would you say that?"

"Because," Izzie groaned. "When George and I broke up, we said that we might try again when things were better, when the timing wasn't so off. He probably is so hurt right now. I slept with you and agreed to have a baby with you when I couldn't make it work with him. I mean, we haven't been close since then, but still. God, I _am_ a terrible, horrible friend. He probably thinks I chose you over him, my best friend."

"Izzie, you can't help how circumstances work out," Mark soothed. "George is the one who withdrew from the friendship first, not you. I can testify to the fact that you are not a terrible, horrible friend. Just give George some time, Iz. He'll get used to the idea and be a wonderful uncle to our baby."

"What about Alex?" Izzie said, mulishly. "I don't understand why he would say such horrible things to me."

"The man's in pain, Izzie," Mark reminded her. "You told me yourself, he was ready to have a baby with Rebecca and then instead he gets to take care of a disturbed woman. He has to sit and watch someone he cares about suffer and there's nothing he can really do to stop it. Then you come in and announce that you are three months pregnant with the baby of a man who isn't known for his steadfastness. Alex is just conflicted and hurt. You're getting a chance at a happy life and he's getting left behind. I hate that he was so cruel to you, but I can understand where he's coming from. I've been in that dark place. It's tough to fight off the bitterness."

"I wish you had never had to be in that place," Izzie said quietly. "I wish Alex wasn't there right now. I hate to see people suffer and I _really_ hate to make it worse. I just want to fix it."

Mark suppressed a chuckle at the pout that had taken up residence on Izzie's face. "I know you love to fix things. That's part of what makes you such a good doctor. But right now, the only thing you need to worry about is that baby. Ok?"

Izzie groaned dramatically. "Ok. But I don't have to like it."

MIMIMIMI

That night, after Mark had left, Izzie changed into a loose shirt and lightweight pajama pants and crawled into her fluffy bed. She had just curled up to read what Mark liked to call her "sappy fluff." After days like today, she liked to spend a little time reading romance novels. She had barely read a page when someone knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" she called tiredly.

"Can I talk to you, Iz?" Alex said softly through the door.

"Um, sure, come in," Izzie replied, sitting up in bed and leaning against the headboard.

Alex opened the door, but remained in the doorway, leaning sheepishly against the doorjamb.

"I'm sorry I was so harsh earlier, Iz," Alex muttered. "It's not like you intentionally went out and got pregnant, right?"

"Right," Izzie agreed. "Are you ok, Alex?"

"Not really," Alex admitted. "This whole thing with Rebecca is really getting to me, ya know? I'm just ready to catch a break."

"You've had a crazy year," Izzie said. "We all have."

"Why can't I just find a normal girl who will just want to be with me and not get distracted or be married or fall in love with someone else?" Alex asked.

"You'll find someone some day," Izzie promised.

"Why didn't you want to be with me?" he asked. "You picked pretty much every available guy to have a relationship with, but me."

Izzie was speechless for a moment. Then, she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, "The timing was just never right for us, Alex. Something was always going on. You're a great guy, but I just don't think we're meant to be."

"Iz, you chose a corpse over me," Alex ground out. "You chose _Bambi_ before you chose me. Olivia chose Bambi over me. Addison chose to move hundreds of miles away rather than be with me. Rebecca chose her husband over me, then came back to me and went crazy. The only guy that you've chosen over me that I can legitimately see why you chose him was Mark Sloan. So tell me, Iz, what makes me so undesirable to women?"

"Alex, nothing about you is undesirable to women. You're a great looking guy, when you actually relax, you can be really sweet and kind. But those glimpses of sweet, kind Alex are few and far between. You're always so cynical and crude," Izzie said bluntly. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Mark: Get comfortable just _being_ and then maybe start looking for a woman to settle down with. Once this thing with Rebecca gets settled, focus on you. Deal with whatever baggage you're lugging around. Then, I bet you'll find a great girl."

Alex let out a rough sigh and ran a hand over his tired, heavily stubbled face. "I dunno. Maybe you're right. I'm gonna take Rebecca to see that psychiatrist Meredith's been seeing in the morning, so I better go get some sleep."

"Good night," Izzie said, kindly.

Alex turned to leave, but then turned back. "And Iz?"

"Yeah?"

"I may not show it, but I am happy for you," Alex said. "You're gonna make a great mom."

"Thanks, Alex."

_**A/N: Like this chapter? Don't like it? PLEASE let me know! Any feedback you can give at this point is more than welcome. **_


	10. I Am Not A Hero, I Am Not An Angel

Chapter 10

The next week passed in a relatively normal pattern, at least for Seattle Grace. Mark performed his surgeries, Izzie ran heard on her interns and got in on a few interesting procedures. The only thing that wasn't normal for Izzie was that George was avoiding her. Whenever she came into the cafeteria, George found a way to make a quick exit, especially if Mark was with her. If she was taking the elevator, he took the stairs. By the end of the week, Izzie was more than a little upset and annoyed, although she didn't say anything. However, the new and improved Mark noticed the decrease in Izzie's smiles that corroborated with the increase in George's avoidance and awkwardness.

"Dr. Bailey, just the woman I was looking for," Mark drawled, finding the Chief resident as he was preparing to leave. "Could you page Dr. O'Malley for me?"

"Sure," Dr. Bailey said looking suspicious. She glanced down the hallway and saw George walking towards her with Meredith's other interns.

"O'Malley!" she called. "Dr. Sloan needs you."

Although he tried to fight it, there was an obvious look of dread and annoyance on George's face. Mark inwardly smiled, but kept a stern, unyielding expression on his face. He wanted O'Malley to be afraid. He was torturing Izzie with this wishy-washy shit and he deserved a healthy amount of fear.

"O'Malley, follow me," Mark barked. George looked a bit startled but hurried to keep up with Mark's long strides.

"Um…What do you need help with?" George asked, following Mark up the stairs.

"Take notes! I want a bone-dry cappuccino, a blueberry scone, and for you to talk to Izzie, so she can stop fretting about you," Mark growled. "She has done nothing wrong and she doesn't need to be worrying about you. Tell me, _Dr._ O'Malley, what can high levels of worry and stress lead to in pregnant women?"

"Uh, well, in some cases it can lead to pre-eclampsia. In most cases, an excessive amount of stress, especially in women in the first or third trimesters can lead to complications in the pregnancy, such as miscarriage or pre-term labor," George answered mechanically.

"Very good, O'Malley," Mark mocked. "At the rate she's going, Izzie will be fifty miles passed neurotic by the time this baby's born. All because you are being a shitty, self-absorbed friend. Izzie Stevens cares about you; she considers you her _best_ friend. That should mean the world to you, but you're sitting there sulking."

"With all do respect, I really don't see how this is any of your business," George muttered defensively.

"Izzie _is_ my business now," Mark snapped. "She is carrying my baby, which makes anything involving her for the next five months my business. Now, get me my damn coffee and scone and then apologize to Izzie!"

George scuttled off angrily, muttering under his breath the whole way.

MIMIMIMI

"Izzie!" an angry voice called out. Izzie was sitting in the basement charting trying to clear her head before heading home. She looked up to see George charging down the hall towards her.

"George?" she said, frowning in confusion.

"Your boyfriend said I had to come talk to you, so here I am!" George declared. "He told me to apologize for being a 'shitty, self-absorbed friend,' but you know what, you still hold the award for that. You weren't supportive of my marriage to Callie, but you expect me to be supportive of you having a child with McSteamy when you're not even with him! Damn it, Izzie!"

Izzie stared at him, her big eyes wide with shock and pain.

"I know stress isn't good for you or the baby, but at this moment, I don't care. You're just gonna have to hear this. I hate that you're having his baby. I gave up my marriage to Callie because I wanted to be with you and hopefully start a family with you. I held your hand as you gave your bone marrow to Hannah. I helped you when you cut Denny's LVAD. I listened while you sobbed your heart out for another man. I did everything I possible could to be there for you. I thought that if we could survive that, we could survive anything! We could have had the kind of marriage Callie and I never had. And here we are, over five months later, and you're pregnant and I'm alone living in a crap-partment being the Chief's intern. Do you really think I could go back to the way things were?" George exploded.

"Oh, George," Izzie said, her voice full of tears. "You know we wouldn't have worked out as a couple. Not in the long run. We were both on the rebound. I didn't plan to get pregnant, and I certainly never meant to hurt you. You're one of my best friends and I will always love you as a friend, but having a child is much more permanent than any marriage, so if you can't accept this baby, then we're done."

"That's rich coming from you," George sniped. "Permanence was never your strong suit was it?"

With that, he stalked off. Izzie sat there fighting back the waves of tears that were threatening to explode. She got up, gathered her things, and moved by rote out of the hospital into the rainy Seattle night.

MIMIMIMI

Mark had just pulled on a pair of blue cotton pajama pants when he heard a frantic knock at the door. Knowing he hadn't ordered room service, he moved quickly to answer the door. He opened it to find a wet, distraught looking Izzie standing in the hallway.

"Izzie!" he exclaimed, drawing her into the room, securing an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong, baby?"

Izzie just shook her head, sending a small spray of water from her loose hair.

"Ok, let's just get you into some dry clothes, then you can tell me what's got you so upset." Mark led Izzie into the bedroom nook of the hotel room and pulled out one of his t-shirts and a pair of drawstring basketball shorts. He held them out, but Izzie made no move to take them. She just stood there, all of her energy going into fighting back tears. Seeing that she wasn't going to move into action, Mark deftly removed her shirt and slid on his dry shirt. It enveloped her, but as it slid down, he couldn't help noticing the slight curve to her normally flat belly and the extra weight that was being added to her already impressive breasts. After the shirt had fallen to rest a little ways above her knees, he helped her slide out of the wet jeans and step into the silver shorts. He made her sit down on the bed and got a towel to sop the water out of her hair. Once she had stopped shivering from cold, Mark picked her up and sat down on the bed with her in his lap.

"Ok, Iz, what happened?" Mark demanded. "Why are you so upset?"

"George," she whispered. "He…he…he just kind of exploded at me."

Mark groaned as guilt swamped him. "Oh, Izzie, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault; you were just trying to make everything better," Izzie said softly.

"What did he say to you?" Mark asked, his voice full of concern.

"Um, well," Izzie said, her voice wavering. "I'm not exactly sure of everything he said, but he went on and on about me not being supportive of him and Callie and it being my fault that they got divorced. Then he started talking about everything that had happened with Denny and Hannah. Then I said that a baby was much more permanent than a marriage and that if he couldn't accept the baby, then we were done. Then, he said that permanence was never my strong suit and he stormed off. I can't believe he said that! Seriously?!"

As she finished her quickly spewed explanation, tears began streaming down her cheeks. Before she could stifle them, a few wet sobs escaped her. The sight of her so upset caused Mark an almost physical pain in his chest. Instead of speaking, he tightened his arms around her and gently rocked her for a few moments until her sobs had quieted.

"Izzie, it'll be ok," Mark soothed. "He's just angry and hurt. I know he's your best friend, but you can't let yourself get this worked up. It's not good for you or the baby. You don't need any extra stress. O'Malley is an asshole. If he won't accept that is best friend is having a baby, then he needs to go back to playing with his Tonka trunks and Playschool Drs. Kit."

Izzie let out a small giggle and snuggled closer to Mark. "Hey," Izzie complained playfully, still sniffling. "Why am I suddenly the one with all of the neurotic freaking out things? Isn't that your job in this dynamic duo?"

"It's a reciprocal thing," Mark insisted. He reached up and wiped away Izzie's tears with his thumb. "Now, why don't you stay here tonight and get some sleep? You're in no shape to drive home."

Wordlessly, Izzie crawled under the covers. Mark smiled slightly as he turned off the lights and joined her. His body curled around hers, his hand resting on the slight curve where their baby grew.

_**A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!!**_


	11. I Am Just A Man

Chapter 11

Izzie woke up feeling very warm and comfortable. Her knee-jerk reaction was to thank the good Lord for her down comforter, but then she realized that her comforter didn't have the ability to snuggle her into it or have muscles. The night before came flooding back to her. Mark had been so sweet and understanding. In retrospect, she was very proud of the way he had handled everything with the George situation. He was taking everything in stride and becoming her rock in the sea of pregnancy hormones. It was nice to have a dependable guy around.

"Good morning," Mark muttered sleepily.

"Ok, you're seriously a mind reader or something," Izzie accused groggily, turning in his arms.

"You're breathing changed," Mark pointed out. "I've been sort of awake for a little while and you're breathing changed, so I knew you were awake."

"Ah, using your amazing super-doctor powers," Izzie teased. Brown eyes met blue. "Thank you- for last night."

"Any time," Mark dismissed. "Although, while you're pregnant, might I suggest not getting overly worked up about anything? I'd really like you to focus on you, your work, and the baby and not fret about what other people think."

"You're turning into one of those over-protective daddies-to-be, you know that, right?" Izzie remarked. Mark lifted an eyebrow. "Some guys are non-chalant about becoming dads, some are overly preoccupied with everything that could go wrong and everything that needs to be done, and some guys are the old-school, medieval protective types. You, my friend, are the latter."

"I just want you and our baby to be healthy, happy, and safe," Mark protested.

"I know, and that's one of the reasons I'm so glad I'm having this baby with you," Izzie said. "I like being worried about and coddled a bit. I've never had that before and it's not half bad. I was just making an observation."

"Well, brace yourself," Mark warned. "I have a feeling this need to protect you and the baby will only get worse as this thing goes on."

MIMIMIMI

"Have you thought about what you want to name the baby?" Lexie asked, later that day during lunch. She had joined Mark and Izzie for their habitual lunch in the courtyard.

Mark didn't even look phased. Instead, he pulled out his blackberry. "Well, I was thinking Ryan or James for a boy and Anna or Marie for a girl."

Izzie wrinkled her nose. "The only name I like out of those is Anna."

"Well, what names were you thinking of?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I like Jaden or Riley for a boy and Bridget or Leigh for a girl," Izzie replied.

"The only name _I_ like out of those is Riley," Mark retorted.

"As you can see, we're no where near a consensus on baby names," Izzie said to Lexie.

"You'll eventually agree on a name that is perfect for your baby," Lexie assured her.

MIMIMIMI

After lunch, Izzie was walking through the halls studying a chart when she ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said reflexively. She looked up and saw that she had run into her OB/GYN.

"Dr. McDaniel! I am so sorry," she said again. "I have a tendency to not watch where I'm going."

"Normally, I take exception to people running into me," Dr. McDaniel said with a flirtacious smile. "But, when the person running into me is such a beautiful woman, I can overlook it. How are you, Dr. Stevens?"

"I'm doing very well, thank you," Izzie replied, returning his smile. "Mark and I were just arguing over what to name the baby at lunch."

"Ah, yes, Dr. Sloan," Dr. McDaniel said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "How long have you two been together?"

"Together?" Izzie repeated, frowning at him. "Oh, we're not together like as a couple together. We're just two friends who had sex one night and ended up having a baby together."

"So, you're single?" Dr. McDaniel said, his face lightening up considerably.

Izzie nodded. "Yes, I am single. Pregnant, but single."

"Would you perhaps like to join me for dinner tomorrow night?" he asked.

"Dinner?" Izzie said. "Dr. McDaniel, did you just ask me on a date?"

"My name is Connor, and yes, I did just ask you on a date," he replied.

"Um," Izzie stammered, slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected to be asked on a date while pregnant, so she stalled. "Can I get back to you? I'm really not sure what my schedule looks like tomorrow."

"Certainly," Connor said graciously. "You know where my office is and you have my card. Just stop by or give me a call once you check out your schedule."

"I'll do that," Izzie said, pasting on a bright smile.

Once Connor walked away, Izzie walked in the opposite direction, feeling very confused. She didn't know what to do. She and Mark really hadn't discussed the whole dating pre- and post-baby issue. As luck would have it, Mark's office was just around the corner and she knew he planned to be in there working on paper work the rest of the day.

MIMIMIMI

Mark looked up from his paper work as Izzie breezed into his office looking a little flustered.

"What's up, Iz?" Mark asked.

"Dr. McDaniel just asked me out," she burst out.

"Dr. McDaniel? Like your OB/GYN Dr. McDaniel?" Mark clarified, looking as surprised as she felt.

"Yeah," Izzie confirmed. "I literally ran into him in the hall and he asked me out."

"What did you say?" Mark asked neutrally, fighting back the jealousy, anger, and hurt that were boiling up inside of him.

"I didn't really know what to say," Izzie replied. "We never really discussed any ground rules for dating or anything like that. I really don't know how I feel about being asked on a date by a guy who is fully aware that I'm pregnant to the point where he's examined my cervix and everything. It just seems a bit…awkward."

Mark held back his relief. "Do you want my honest opinion?"

"Of course," Izzie said. "Honesty is a big part of making all of this work and I honestly want to know how you feel."

Mark took a bracing breath. "My gut reaction is to tell you that I would really, really like it if you didn't date while you're pregnant with my baby," he admitted. "But, since we're not together or anything, I would say, as your friend, that you should do what you feel is best, although it would be really awkward for you to date the guy we're going to trust to bring our baby into this world without any complications."

"That was my initial reaction too," Izzie admitted. "I mean, I really don't want to have to find a new OB/GYN and figure all that out and if things didn't go well, that's what I would have to do."

"This is true."

"Ok, well, I'm gonna go tell him," Izzie said, jumping up. "I'll see you at my place tonight?"

"Um, yeah," Mark replied. She hadn't even acknowledged his somewhat revealing confession and that left him slightly hurt and confused. He would confront her about it tonight, after she had eliminated the distraction of the charming Scottish doctor.

MIMIMIMI

Izzie found Connor in his office.

"Wow, Isobel," he said. "I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Yeah," Izzie said nervously. "Um, I just wanted to say, thanks for asking me on a date. It's really flattering, especially considering the fact that you know I'm pregnant, but, I'm afraid I must refuse your kind offer. The whole situation would just be a bit awkward and you're a highly recommended doctor and I just think it would be better if we didn't go on a date."

"Oh, ok," Connor said, a little dejectedly. "Well, then, I'll just see you at your next appointment."

"Yeah," Izzie said, moving to exit.

"Isobel?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure there's nothing going on with you and Dr. Sloan?" Connor asked thoughtfully.

"We're just friends," Izzie said. "Why?"

"Well, I just think that he might not be totally clear on that," Connor explained. "He seemed rather territorial at the appointment and he looked at you in a way that went a bit beyond friendship."

Izzie didn't say anything. She just waved good-bye and exited his office, walking down the hall deep in thought.

_**A/N: Could McStizzieness be in the air? You'll have to REVIEW to find out!**_


	12. Who's Trying to Love Her Unlike AnyOther

_A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I spent the weekend betaing a 56 page story and didn't have time to work this out so I made sure it's extra good, if a little shorter than normal. Enjoy!_

Chapter 12

Izzie sat outside the hospital for a long time after her shift ended. She played her earlier conversation with Mark over and over in her head. _My gut reaction is to tell you that I would really, really like it if you didn't date while you're pregnant with my baby._ What the hell did that mean? Did he not want her to date because she was pregnant? Or, did he not want her to date because she was pregnant with his baby and he was territorial? Was Connor right? Was there more there than just friendship? Yes, she was attracted to him and yes, the sex had been good, well, great. In the past 5 months, Mark had really become her best friend. They did everything together; they ate together, spent free time together, and they talked about everything. She always felt safe and comfortable when she was with him.

When she had fallen for Denny, it had been a fast whirlwind of emotion. She couldn't stop it, it just happened. With Mark, it wasn't something she had expected or even thought about. It had started before she even realized it. They were having a family together, but she had never ever thought that they would end up as a couple. And, who's to say they would? She could just be reading too much into everything, as usual.

It took her nearly an hour, but she finally got her thoughts under control enough to head home. As she drove up to the house, she noticed that Mark's Jag was the only car in the driveway. Taking a deep breath, Izzie got out of the car and went into the house.

MIMIMIMI

Izzie was surprised to find the house so still and silent. The only sounds were the low noises coming from the TV. Izzie followed the noise into the den to find Mark sprawled out asleep on the couch, a baby store catalog spread out on his chest. He had fallen asleep watching ESPN.

Izzie smiled fondly as she dropped her bag on a chair and went to sit on the edge of the couch by his side. Taking advantage of his vulnerable state, she smoothed back his hair gently as she studied his face. He had shaved recently, but a shadow of a beard was beginning to appear. Still, he looked boyish and peaceful in his sleep. She smiled even more as she imagined a little boy with his dark hair and light eyes and devilish smile. Any son of McSteamy's would be a handful, but she would do her best to make sure to preserve in their son all of the sweetness and consideration she was gradually coming to appreciate in Mark. Before she could stop herself, Izzie kissed his temple.

"Izzie?" he mumbled sleepily, snaking an arm around her.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Izzie said teasingly.

"What took you so long to get home?" Mark asked gruffly, levering himself upright before pulling Izzie into his lap and cuddling her close, his eyes only half open.

"I needed to…think about some things," Izzie replied vaguely, resting her head in the bend of his neck and shoulder.

"What were you thinking about?" Mark asked, rubbing hypnotic circles on her back. Izzie frowned, going over everything in her head, trying to carefully phrase what she wanted to say. "What is it, Iz? You know you can tell me anything."

Izzie let out a deep sigh. "I was thinking about what you said in your office earlier," she admitted. Mark's heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his chest. "About your gut reaction to the idea of me dating someone."

"Really?' Mark said, keeping his voice neutral, even as his heart began to race and his hopes began to hover above the ground.

"Yeah," Izzie confirmed, biting her lip nervously. "What did you mean when you said that your gut reaction was that you would really like it if I didn't date while I was pregnant with your baby?"

"What do you think I meant?" Mark returned, silently calling himself a chicken for not directly answering her.

"That's why I took so long to get home," Izzie said, some frustration seeping into her voice. "I don't know if you meant it in the way that you don't want me to date because I'm pregnant with your baby or if you meant it in the way that you don't want me to date in general? And then, both of these questions led to a whole host of other questions. So, please, just spell it out for me."

"Iz," Mark groaned reluctantly.

"I thought you didn't want me to be stressed unnecessarily during my pregnancy," Izzie pointed out. "This is stressing me unnecessarily, so explain."

Izzie pulled back so that her big brown eyes, so full of confusion and a spark of hope, met his unfathomable ice blue eyes. She had to suppress a satisfied smile as she saw him cave. He always caved when she gave him the eyes.

"I meant it in the way that I don't want you to date in general," Mark admitted. "I don't know when, I don't know how, but I've come to care for you. A lot. In more than a 'oh, she's the mother of my child so I have to care for her' way. You are…everything that is good and bright to me. You are the one person I know who can make me smile just by looking at me. Sometimes, I know you know what I'm thinking before I say anything. You are wonderful and sweet and perfect. I haven't looked twice at another woman since that night in the kitchen. You make me want to be that guy; the prince charming guy who says and does all the right things and gets happily ever after with the beautiful princess. I've spent most of my life as the villain, the guy who does the wrong thing in the name of sex. You know that movie you made me watch, what was it, Pride and Prejudice? I'm the soldier guy, Wickham or whatever his name is. But you, you make me want to be that Mr. Darcy guy. I want that kind of happily ever after with _you_, Iz, with you and our baby. So, that's what I meant when I said I didn't want you to date while you're pregnant. I don't want you to date anyone but me while you're pregnant, after the baby's born, or ever."

Izzie looked at him, tears in her eyes. Mark got a panicked look in his eyes. "Oh, no, Iz, please, baby, don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I take it all back if I hurt your feelings in any way."

"Don't you dare take it back," Izzie ordered fiercely, sniffing back tears. "I'm crying because I'm pregnant with your baby and that's made me more than a little hormonal and crazy and what you just said, well, that was pretty amazing. You have made me so happy, Mark. I didn't realize it until tonight, but I feel the same way. Every time I try and imagine some part of my future, the baby's future, the only person I can see there beside me is you. You already are that prince charming guy. You became that guy when you took responsibility for this baby and when you gave up your McSteamy ways. I don't want to date anyone else but you, or even spend time with anyone else but you."

His ice blue eyes were now warm with hope and something else as he leaned down and captured Izzie's lips in an unyielding kiss of emotion and possession.

_**A/N: Yay! Finally! It took me forever to work this chapter out. PLEASE REVIEW! Any feedback you give is appreciated. **_


	13. In Her Eyes I Am

Chapter 13

Mark finally pulled back for air almost fifteen minutes later with a slightly mystified look on his face. Izzie, on the other hand, had a cat that got the cream smile on her face as she snuggled closer to him. Her hand rested above his pounding heart and she reveled in the feel of his arms enveloping her. Mark could not believe how lucky he was. He had known for some time now that he was falling for Izzie, but he had never let himself believe that it was possible for her to return his feelings. After a while, one of Mark's hands drifted down to rest on Izzie's abdomen, rubbing it gently.

"I can't believe that our baby is growing in there," Mark breathed.

"It is," Izzie said, smiling tenderly. "In just 32 weeks, we will be the proud parents of a beautiful little boy or little girl. I'm starting to get really excited."

"Me too," Mark admitted. "Which would you prefer, a boy or a girl?"

"Hmm…" Izzie paused, considering for a moment. "I don't know. There are pros and cons to either one. I think I'd like a little boy who looks like you and has your sweet spirit, but we'd raise him in the knowledge that he's the most important thing to us. I can almost see you playing catch with him and him cuddling up to me after he's had his bath. What about you?"

"I wouldn't mind having a little boy to do all the father-son things I missed with," Mark admitted. "But, every time I think about the baby, I see a chubby cheeked little girl with soft blonde curls and big brown eyes who thinks I'm the greatest guy ever."

Izzie smiled at that thought too. "But, little girls grow up into big girls and you know who like big girls? Boys! Boys who are just like you were when you were a teenager," Izzie teased.

"Uh-uh!" Mark denied. "She's going to all girls schools and isn't dating until she's at least 25."

That really made Izzie laugh. "You know your penchant for over-protectiveness is pretty sexy," she said seductively, running her fingers through his hair. The old Mark would have leapt at the chance to further their little make-out session, but the new Mark held back.

"Well, as sexy as it may be, I think we need to go to bed now," Mark said stoically. "To sleep. You and baby have had a long day."

"But I'm getting horny," Izzie whined. "And you promised to satisfy all of my cravings."

"Only until they interfere with your health and right now it is best for all of us if we just go upstairs and sleep," Mark said. "I would love to satisfy this craving, but I think it should wait a little while. This is still new and I don't think we should rush it."

Izzie sighed heavily. "I know you're right. So, you want to sleep here, huh?"

"If you want me to," Mark amended. "I seem to sleep much better when you're curled up next to me."

"Then let's go to bed," Izzie said, hopping up and dragging him up the stairs to bed.

Chapter 13

Izzie woke up to the feeling of warm, firm lips trailing over her face. She kept her eyes closed, reveling in the feeling as a smile tugged at her slightly swollen lips. The lips continued to leave a trail of kisses down her cheek and her neck before starting to trace the décolletage of her lacy pink camisole.

"Quit playing possum, Stevens, I know you're awake," Mark whispered huskily against her chest. Izzie opened her eyes slightly, meeting his somewhat lecherous gaze. Ignoring her, Mark continued to kiss her through her camisole along her torso until he came to the smooth skin that he exposed by lifting up the hem. He then proceeded to kiss her stomach tenderly, whispering, "Good morning, baby. Daddy loves you very much and can't wait to meet you."

"Ah, I see where your priorities are," Izzie teased. "First the baby, then me."

"Good morning to you too, beautiful," Mark said, grinning, moving up to kiss Izzie's lips. "Do you still think my over-protectiveness is sexy?"

"Oh yeah," Izzie said seductively, pulling him back in for a more heated kiss.

MIMIMI

That day, Mark had a surgery that lasted through lunchtime so, Izzie joined Meredith and Christina in the courtyard. She was sitting there, staring into space when Christian kicked her under the table.

"Ow!" Izzie exclaimed. "What the hell was that for?"

"What's with the dreamy smile? We're sitting here talking about hemorrhaging brains and bloodless pulmonary valve transplants and you're staring off into space with goo-goo eyes," Cristina complained. Both Cristina and Meredith were studying her very critically. Izzie tried to contain the smile, but she couldn't. Meredith gasped.

"You did McSteamy again, didn't you?" Meredith accused. "You fed the beast!"

"I did not do McSteamy again," Izzie retorted. "I had really, really great sex with Mark, my boyfriend."

"Your WHAT?" Cristina exclaimed.

"You and Mark? Mark is your-" Meredith rambled.

"Boyfriend, yes," Izzie repeated. "We talked last night and we are together now. Like, fully together together, not just raising a baby together. And then, this morning, we had really, really good horny pregnant sex."

"Go Izzie," Cristina said, looking impressed.

"That's great, Iz," Meredith said. "So, you and Mark are happy with this?"

"Yeah, we're really happy," Izzie said. "He's changed. He's really excited about this baby and he really cares about me. He isn't McSteamy anymore."

"It's hard to picture him as the doting daddy-to-be," Meredith admitted.

"It's really sweet," Izzie said. "This morning, he was even talking to the baby."

"It's a fetus," Cristina said, looking mildly disgusted. "It can't hear or understand. And here I thought he was hardcore. Sloan's turned into a marshmallow. Izzie's turned McSteamy into a soft, marshmallow man."

"He's not a soft, marshmallow man," Izzie protested. "He's still the same rugged, manly, hardcore guy he was before. Now he's all of that, but he is also sensitive and monogamous and wonderfully protective."

Meredith smirked at her. "You're all bright and shiny. You're in _love _with McSteamy. It's sweet. You're going to have a happy little McFamily."

"Yeah, I am," Izzie said, smiling widely at the thought. Her own family, her, Mark, and their baby. Life was certainly looking up.

_**A/N: Ok, somewhat of a filler chapter, but I wanted a little fluff. I'll hopefully update soon with more progress w/ McStizzie and the McBaby. PLEASE REVIEW! **_


	14. Only She Stills My Heart

Chapter 14

The next month passed in a blur of work and Mark for Izzie. Whenever they weren't working, she and Mark spent time together. They went out on dates, they stayed in, they laughed, they argued, they were, in every sense of the word, a normal couple. Izzie was now showing and Mark was reveling in the lusciousness of her figure. After the Dr. McDaniel incident, everything was going along smoothly.

"Mark!" Izzie groaned as Mark trailed kisses all over her face. "We're going to be late for the appointment if you keep this up."

"Screw the appointment," Mark declared. "Let's just stay in bed all morning."

"Ugh, we can't," Izzie said. "We're going to find out the sex of the baby today, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Mark grumbled. "Ok, we can get up."

"Come on," Izzie teased, pulling him out of bed. "You know you're excited about finding out whether we're having a little girl or a little boy. And I bet you're even more excited about going shopping for baby stuff afterwards."

"Shopping?" Mark groaned. "Since when are we going shopping?"

"Since I said we are," Izzie said saucily. "We have the whole day off. Once we know the sex of the baby, then we can start buying things for it. I was thinking we would turn the spare bedroom into a nursery and we'll need stuff to do that. Plus, I'm starting to outgrow my clothes, so I'll need your help picking out some hot pregnant girl clothes."

"Fine," Mark acquiesced. "But only if I get to pick where we have lunch."

"Deal!"

MIMIMI

"Ok, Izzie, let's see how that baby's doing," Connor said, applying the gel to Izzie's abdomen.

"Wow," Mark breathed as the image appeared on the screen. "It's gotten so big."

"You couldn't tell that from my stomach?" Izzie asked sarcastically.

"Everything looks good," Connor informed them. "The baby's developing nicely. A little smaller than I would like, but that's nothing abnormal. There's still plenty of time to catch up. Would you like to know the gender?"

"Yes!" Izzie said fervently. "The suspense is killing me."

"Dr. Stevens, I would think you could tell," Connor chastised gently.

"I'm not thinking like a doctor right now, so just tell us already!"

"You are having a boy," Connor said, chuckling.

"That's our son," Izzie murmured, clutching Mark's hand.

"Yeah, our baby boy," Mark agreed, fondly kissing Izzie's temple, then her lips.

"Ok, well, everything looks good," Connor said again. "Just make sure you're eating regularly and keeping hydrated. Over the next few weeks, start to take more breaks so you don't get overtired and limit the stress. We don't want this little guy to have to come out early because of pre-eclampsia."

"Thanks," Izzie said, giving him a polite smile before she moved to change out of the hospital gown. When she came out from behind the changing screen, Mark was staring into space, looking a little dazed.

"What's wrong?" Izzie asked, coming to give him a hug.

"Nothing's wrong," Mark replied. "I'm just starting to take everything in."

"We're going to unleash mini you on the world. Scary huh?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "Terrifying."

"So, where are you taking me and our son for lunch? We're starving!"

"Ah, now that, milady, is a surprise," Mark said.

Izzie pouted, but Mark didn't give in as they left the hospital to go to their mystery lunch.

MIMIMI

"Where are we going?" Izzie whined. Mark was driving them through a nice, high-end neighborhood where the houses were the old, historical homes with large yards and beautiful trees. Mark didn't reply, except to give her an enigmatic grin.

A few minutes later, he pulled into a large circular drive in front of a beautiful old Victorian mansion. The boundaries of the property were marked with a white picket fence that was covered in ivy and roses. The house had a huge wrap around porch and was painted a pale yellow with dark blue and white accents. There were many gables and two turrets and bay windows.

"Mark? What's going on?" Izzie asked suspiciously, especially after she spotted the realtor sign in the yard.

"Well," Mark started. "I've been thinking over some things since we've gotten back together and one of them was our living arrangement."

"Our living arrangement?"

"Yes. I know you like living with Meredith and Alex, but I really don't think it would be fair to ask them to live with a newborn. I want us to have our own home, where we can watch our son grow up. And, I now I should have consulted you before even thinking about looking at houses, but I was browsing on the internet out of curiosity the other day and I saw this house and it just screamed Izzie to me," Mark said, taking a page from Izzie's speed rambling repertoire. He finally looked her in the eyes nervously. "What do you think?"

"You bought this house?" Izzie asked. "Seriously?"

"I haven't officially bought it, yet," Mark said. "I put down an offer, but I can withdraw it if you hate the house. Do you want to at least look at it?"

Izzie studied him for a moment, taking in the hope and childlike enthusiasm in his eyes. "Of course I'll at least look at it," she replied, rolling her eyes. "But then you owe me and your son lunch."

"Lunch is waiting for us in the backyard, in the form of a picnic," Mark promised. "Once we've looked through the house, we'll go out back and discuss this while we eat."

"Sounds like a plan."

Mark led the way into the house. The front hall was very classic and dominated by a majestic, hand-carved staircase. All of the rooms on the ground floor were large and open with original fireplaces. Izzie's eyes bulged out of her head when she saw the large kitchen.

"Oh my God, Mark! This is unbelievable," Izzie exclaimed, taking in the large, thoroughly modern, but still classic kitchen.

"You like it?" Mark asked hopefully.

Izzie nodded neutrally, containing her smile.

Mark then led the way upstairs. There were five large bedrooms on the top floor and two large bathrooms. The master bedroom had a bay window and fireplace and the master bath had a large Jacuzzi tub and a huge modern shower with four showerheads. It was painted a lovely sky blue color that reminded Izzie of Mark's eyes when he was really happy. The next room Mark led her to was right across the hall from the master bedroom. It was a large, bright room, painted a beautiful pale green.

"I thought we might use this as the nursery," Mark said sheepishly. "Maybe put a rocker there by the window where you can look out over the backyard while you rock him."

Izzie walked over to look out the window, hiding the faint sheen of tears that Mark's confession had brought to her eyes. They quickly explored the rest of the rooms before going outside. The backyard was huge. A creek occupied one corner. There was a large garden in the other corner full of roses and daises and honeysuckle bushes. A cheerful plaid blanket was spread out with an assortment of sandwiches on a tray and a bowl of chocolate strawberries and a bottle of sparkling cider chilled beside two glasses.

"I had Derek come by earlier to set this up," Mark explained, helping Izzie to sit down on the blanket. After they had started eating and sipping their cider, Mark spoke up again.

"Well? What did you think of the house?" he asked nervously. Izzie looked down at her lap, pretending to be thinking hard. Finally, she couldn't contain herself.

"I loved it," she replied honestly. "It's like my dream house. Right down to the garden and the kitchen and the circle drive and the white picket fence. I love this house. I even love the way the floor creaks when you walk. If you don't buy this house, I may just have to forget how much you mean to me, because it is the perfect place to raise our son."

Mark let out a relieved sigh. "Good thing I already bought it then."

"You already-But you said that you had only put in an offer," Izzie accused.

"I only said that to pacify you until you actually saw the house. I knew you'd love it," Mark explained. "I could almost picture you in the kitchen baking cookies with our son. You are giving me two of my heart's desires. The least I could do was give you your dream house."

"Two of your heart's desires?"

"Yes, two. You are giving me a child," Mark reminded her. "And every day you give me the gift of having you near me, of having the knowledge that my son will always have two parents who adore him. When I'm with you, I know I am the luckiest man alive because I get the privilege of loving someone so wonderful, so good, so caring, so amazing as you."

"You love me?" Izzie choked out, tears threatening to overflow.

"Yes. I, Mark Sloan, love you, Isobel Stevens, more than I ever imagined it possible to love another human being," Mark professed. "And one day soon, I hope to ask you to be my wife. Not today, maybe not even next week, but at some point, I pray I am lucky enough to hear you say that you'll be with me forever."

"I love you too," Izzie said, kissing him through her tears. "You are such a good, wonderful man. I never dreamed that men like you could really exist."

"I'm only this way because you had faith in me," Mark reminded her. "And I will try my hardest to be worthy of that faith."

"You already are. You already are."

_**A/N: Wow. That one kinda just came spilling out. I had planned to include the shopping trip, but I think it will have to wait til next time because, wow, that went on longer than I expected. PLEASE REVIEW! **_


	15. I Will Give Her Completely

Chapter 15

After their emotional interlude in the backyard, Mark took Izzie on the promised shopping expedition. Mark quietly drove Izzie to this boutique she had wanted to go to that carried both baby paraphernalia and chic clothing for pregnant moms.

"What do we want the theme to be?" Izzie asked enthusiastically as they entered the store.

"Theme?" Mark raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, theme," Izzie said. "For the nursery. I was thinking we could do like a countryside type thing with baby farm animals and puppies and stuff like that. What do you think?"

Mark, being a wise man, knew when he was out of his element. "Whatever you think is best," he acquiesced. "Farm animals sound like a great idea."

"Seriously?" Izzie said, surprised at his ready acceptance of her idea. "Ok, well, what kind of wood do you think we should get for the furniture?"

"I dunno," Mark said. "If you want the room to be light and cheerful, I'd probably go with blonde wood."

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Izzie said. After they had agreed on the theme and the wood for the furniture, the decisions flew by. Within an hour, they had picked out a spacious crib, with a top of the line mattress and bedding and a mobile to go along with it. They had selected a cushy glider rocker and footstool that they both enjoyed and had picked out a roomy dresser for all the clothes Mark knew Izzie was going to buy their son.

"Ok, I think that's everything we need for now," Izzie said. "It feels so good to just have the skeleton of the room done."

"Then it's time to buy Mommy some things," Mark said, ushering Izzie over to the clothing section of the store. At Mark's encouragement, Izzie began to select a mountain of clothes to try on. After a while, Mark silently took the pile from Izzie and held it for her to make it easier for her to browse.

"Ok, I know you're going to hate this, but being the one who is going to have to look at me in theses clothes, would you mind me modeling them for you?"

Stifling a groan, Mark took a seat in one of the fruffy chairs that were stationed just outside the dressing rooms. Izzie proceeded to try on countless outfits and ask Mark's opinion on every single one. As time went on, Izzie began to look less and less enthusiastic about the new clothes and more and more distressed. She came out in a gorgeous sapphire blue high-waisted silk top and a cute pair of dark jeans and looked like she was about to cry. Mark quickly stood up and went to take her into a hug.

"What's wrong, sunshine?" he asked gently, cuddling her close.

"I'm fat! And ugly!" Izzie said, sniffing back tears. "You're in love with a fat, ugly cow!"

"Isobel Stevens, what on earth are you talking about?" Mark asked, smoothing her soft blonde curls. "You are a gorgeous, glowing pregnant woman, _my_ gorgeous, glowing pregnant woman. I know you probably won't understand this, but the fact that you are growing my child in there is insanely hot. I mean, I could barely keep my hands to myself before you started showing, but now, damn woman. I love everything about you and I love that you are carrying our baby. You are far from fat and ugly. Understand?"

Tearfully, Izzie nodded. "I'm going to gather up all my stuff and change. I'll be right out."

"Take your time," Mark said. Once she disappeared into the dressing room, he wandered back to the baby part of the store. He found himself browsing through the stuffed toys section. Out of the corner of his eye, a blue plush dog caught his eye. It had a cheerful smile and floppy ears. It was even wearing a Yankees baseball cap. Smile fondly, Mark picked up the toy and studied it. It was the perfect first toy for his little boy.

"There you are!" Izzie's greeting caused him to jump a little. "What's this?"

"I thought I might get him for Little No Name," Mark admitted sheepishly.

"Oh, Mark, he's adorable," Izzie cooed. "He'll fit right in with everything else."

"You like him?"

'Of course I do," Izzie said. Smiling fondly, she nudged him with her free arm. "See, you're going to be a great dad."

"Yeah, maybe I am," Mark said, smiling slightly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Um, yeah," Izzie said. "I just need to go pay for all of this."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mark said. "You're not paying for anything."

"What do you mean? I'm at least paying for my own clothes," Izzie insisted.

"No, you're not," Mark retorted.

"No way am I letting you pay for the house, and the baby stuff _and_ my clothes," Izzie argued. "That's too much."

"We're partners in this, Iz," Mark reasoned in a soothing voice. "I want to take care of you and our baby. It's part of being a family."

"If we're partners, why can't I contribute financially to the partnership?" she retorted.

"Because you're contributing an entire person to the family," Mark pointed out. "I'm a very well-established, world-renowned plastic surgeon with a constantly growing stock portfolio, Iz. I have piles of money just sitting in the bank. Let me take care this. Please?"

Izzie studied him for a moment. She saw the need lurking underneath, the need to contribute and provide and cherish. "Ok."

MIMIMI

That night, they lay in bed, sated and cuddled up close, Mark's hand resting on her stomach.

"Hi baby," he whispered, leaning down to press his cheek against her abdomen. "We went and bought stuff to get your new room ready in our big new house." He was about to go on to describe the room when he felt an unusual movement underneath the skin. He looked up at her with a surprised look on his handsome face.

"He just kicked!" Mark exclaimed excitedly. "When did he start kicking?"

"That's the first time he's done that," Izzie said. "At least that strong. He's wiggled around a bit, but he's never kicked so hard. I guess he was talking to his daddy. What do you think, Daddy? Do we have a soccer player on our hands?"

"Who knows?" Mark said. "He can be whatever he wants to be because he's got a mommy and daddy who'll love him no matter what. You hear that, little man? We love you!"

"What are we going to name him?" Izzie asked.

"Well, if I remember correctly, so far the only boy name we could agree on was Riley," Mark replied. "As I think on it, I really like that name. It's a good, strong Celtic name."

"What about Aiden as a middle name?" Izzie suggested quietly.

"You want to give our son my middle name?" Mark asked, a warm feeling welling up inside of him.

"I do," Izzie said. "I want him to be just as wonderful a man as his daddy is. I want him to be strong and passionate and proud of who he is."

"So, Riley Aiden Sloan?" Mark said, testing the name aloud.

"Hello in there," Izzie cooed to her stomach. "We have a name for you."

"What do you think ? Are you Riley Aiden Sloan?" Mark asked the baby bump, his cheek still resting there. His response came in the form of a kick. "I'll take that as a yes!"

_**A/N: Ok, so extreme fluff, but oh well. What do you think of the name? It means Descendant of Roghallach (powerful Irish clan) and Little Fire. I know this is kind of settling into a typical fan fic pattern, but keep with it, I have an interesting curveball or two up my sleeve that I think you'll like. PLEASE REVIEW!! **_


	16. Cause You Can See It When I Look At You

_A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update. I've been babysitting all week. New song for their new life together. "Everything" by Michael Bublé_

Chapter 16

"Hmmm…"

"Oh, come on, Iz!" Mark groaned. "Just pick a place!"

Mark and Derek were holding the new couch that had been delivered to the house that morning because Izzie had decided it needed to be repositioned, again.

"Be patient!" Izzie snapped. "I'm nesting!"

"Could you nest when it's not going to ring up a huge bill with my chiropractor?" Derek complained.

"Fine!" Izzie conceded. Put it over there. We'll put Mark's ridiculous TV on the opposite wall."

With twin sighs of relief, the men positioned the unwieldy couch where they had been directed before collapsing on it. Mark had enjoyed the overstuffed furniture Izzie had insisted on at the store, but he hadn't realized that he would be required to help move it around the house. They had spent all of their spare time in the last two weeks choosing furniture so that they could move into their new home. Today was moving day and all of their friends had show up en masse to help. Meredith and Cristina were unpacking medical books in the office/library. Lexie was in the kitchen unpacking and washing the mountains of dishes and cooking supplies and pans Mark had insisted on buying so that Izzie could sufficiently indulge in any baking compulsions she had (hopefully with his help occasionally and Alex was organizing all of Mark's workout equipment in one of the spare downstairs rooms.

"Guess what you guys get to do?" Izzie exclaimed with false sweetness. Mark and Derek sent her wary looks. "You get to go upstairs and put all of the baby furniture together while I unpack our clothes!"

"Yes, dear," Mark chimed in a monotone. He stopped and gave Izzie a soft kiss.

"Go get that room ready for our baby," Izzie ordered saucily, smacking Mark butt as he walked away.

She turned to see Lexie standing in the doorway. "You guys are really in love, aren't you?" Lexie asked with a half-smile.

"Yeah," Izzie admitted. "We are."

"I wish George could see that," Lexie confided, flopping down on the new couch. "He's so bitter lately, it's becoming impossible to live with him."

"George will see what George wants to see," Izzie said. "I really did treat him horribly, so I can understand why he wouldn't relish my happiness. I just wish he would get over it by now. Nothing he can do or say will change the fact that I love Mark and I'm having his baby."

"What makes your love for Mark so different from your love for George?" Lexie asked. "Not to be rude or anything, I'm just curious."

Izzie sat down in a chair and retreated into her thoughts for a few minutes. "George was a habit that I was afraid of losing. He was safe and there. There wasn't really a grand passion there or anything, he was just George, my best friend. I don't know if anyone told you this, but I was engaged to a transplant patient who died. For a long time, I was a mess. I think I tried to make something out of my relationship with George because I needed someone to love. Meredith had Derek, Alex had Addison, Cristina had Burke and George had Callie. The whole George/Callie thing was really hard for me because she was so needy and controlling and condescending towards all of us, especially me. So, I took the loneliness of Denny leaving me, and George constantly choosing Callie over me and I made it into something that it really wasn't. I can see that now. Mark is comforting, but at the same time he's exciting and passionate. He wants to protect me and coddle me, but he still lets me be me and stretch myself. We really get each other in a way that's almost freaky. It's hard for me to be away from him. He and this baby have become my world."

"I can tell," Lexie commented quietly. "You might not notice it, but when you're together, you two just kind of orbit around each other. You move so that you're near each other, you're constantly looking at each other with this look, like you're the only ones who know this wonderfully intimate secret. It's really great to watch. It gives me hope."

"Hope?" Izzie asked, curious.

"Yeah, hope that the girls like you, me, and Meredith, with the dark and twisty pasts can have the fairytale. You've got the fairytale at your fingertips. If you can do it, so can I."

"You'll get your fairytale eventually, Lex," Izzie promised. "I just hope yours is as wonderful as mine."

MIMIMI

"How are things with you and Izzie?" Derek asked as he and Mark worked on putting together the crib.

"They're really, really good," Mark replied. "Why?"

"Just curious," Derek said. "I've never seen you make it this far with a woman. Hell, I've never even seen you like this about a woman, period."

"I don't know, man," Mark said. "She's just, well, she's _Izzie_. She's amazing and wonderful and I can't believe she picked me."

"I know this might not be my place, but she reminds me so much of Kat," Derek said, softly, his eyes gentle with regret. Mark's eyes widened in surprise and he sat back on his heels a bit. He stared into space for a while, deep in thought.

"Yeah, she's a lot like Kat, isn't she?" Mark murmured. "I don't think I've ever really let myself think about it, but everything about her reminds my heart of Kat. Her smile, her sunny nature, and her faith in me, all of it is so like Kat."

"Have you told her about Kat?" Derek asked quietly.

"Yeah," Mark admitted. "The first night we were together, I told her everything about Kat. I've never told any woman about Kat, not even Addison."

"You really love Izzie, don't you?"

"Yeah," Mark said. "She's become my everything. She's like air to me. I'd wanted to find someone to settle down with for a while, but I never imagined a girl like Izzie would want to be with me. I couldn't pick a better woman to be the mother of my child and the woman I come home to every night. I would still be in a very dark, lonely place without Isobel Stevens."

"I'm glad you found each other," Derek commented. "You both needed each other. You complete each other. I'm happy you're happy. You deserve it after the lifetime of bitterness you've been put through."

"Well, now, I've got everything I could ever want," Mark said lightly. "I've got my best friend back, a new house, a great job, a new baby on the way, and an amazing, sexy woman to love. I'm one of the luckiest men in the whole damn world."

MIMIMI

That night, Izzie and Mark lay snuggled contentedly in their new bed underneath the thick, white down comforter and duvet Izzie had insisted they have. They had just thoroughly christened the new house and Izzie was so awash with contentment that she let out a happy sigh.

"I can't believe we got so much done today," Izzie murmured.

"Yeah, well, we've got an amazing group of friends," Mark said. They lay there in silence for a moment, Mark tracing idle circles on Izzie's bare belly.

"What first drew you to me?" Izzie asked.

"Ok, random," Mark commented. Izzie gave him a slightly annoyed look. "You really want to know?"

"I really want to know," Izzie insisted.

"You're spunk and sass were what first attracted me," Mark said. "The first time you ever worked with me, you refused to do the petty little things I wanted. You called me on my bullshit. You demanded my respect in return for yours, and for some reason I wanted to have yours more than I wanted anything. I wanted you in my corner, not against me. But what held my interest was your strength."

"My strength?"

"The day of the ferry crash, when you were helping that man, you were terrified, but you pushed aside all that and did something you shouldn't have to know until your third or fourth year in circumstances that normal people would have completely cracked under, but not you. No, Izzie Stevens might look like a Barbie doll, but she has a backbone of pure steel. I don't think I knew it then, but I think I started to fall for you that day, I was just deluding myself about Addison at the time."

Tears stung Izzie's eyes. "Turn about's fair play, milady. What drew you to me?"

"I think the little glimpses of your soft side," Izzie said, frowning a bit. "The way you worried over Addison or the way you were so tender with some of your patients. I knew you couldn't be as bad as you liked to think you were. But I think I started to fall for you on the day of the ferry crash too. When you were sitting there, comforting Derek, despite all that had passed between you, I knew you were more than just a pretty face and good hands. You are a truly good man, Mark Sloan."

"I love you, Isobel Stevens," Mark whispered hoarsely.

"I love you too, Mark Sloan," Izzie replied.

"And we both love you, Riley Aiden Sloan," Mark informed her swelling stomach.

_**A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!! Conflict and drama coming up!**_


	17. You're The Get Away Car

Chapter 17

"Dr. Stevens!"

Izzie turned to where the weary voice came from. Derek was trudging towards her. She was confused; she was supposed to be prepping his patient for surgery. She was just returning to work after having taken the last three days to finish the majority of the unpacking that needed to be done at the new house.

"Is something wrong, Dr. Shepherd?" she asked, frowning.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Derek said.

"Is it anything I can help you with? Do you need me to run a few more tests on Mrs. Adamson?" Izzie offered.

"I have a serious dilemma here, Izzie," Derek informed her. "I can not find a single nurse who will work with you. They won't scrub in, they won't treat any patients that you're affiliated with, and they won't even touch your charts. What have you done to them?"

"Since when?" Izzie asked. "Just last week, everything was fine. Some of them were a little cool towards me, but that's fairly normal."

"Well, I don't know what happened, but you are officially persona non grata to all of the nurses. Now, I know that this isn't fair to you, but until this gets resolved, I can't let you scrub in on my surgeries," Derek said regretfully.

"That's ok, Derek, I understand," Izzie assured him. "I'll just go oversee the clinic and figure out what's going on."

MIMIMI

"Have you seen Izzie?" Mark asked Derek later that day as he joined him at one of the lunch tables on the patio.

"Um, last I heard she was down in the clinic," Derek said, avoiding Mark's gaze.

"The clinic? I thought she was scheduled to scrub in with you," Mark said, frowning.

"She was," Derek confirmed. "But none of the nurses would scrub in if Izzie was going to be in the surgery."

"What?" Mark exclaimed. "Why? I haven't heard of them doing something like this since before Bailey's lecture. I know Izzie didn't sleep with them or anything, so what's got them all riled up?"

"I don't know," Derek said. "If I were to take a guess it would probably have something to do with you and your relationship with Izzie."

"But I thought they united against me because I was using all of them? Shouldn't they be happy now that I'm a one woman man?"

"They're women, Mark. Very petty, self-involved, gossipy women," Derek reminded him. "I can't explain them, but you should probably let Izzie try and sort this out first before you come in on your white charger."

"Fine," Mark grumbled. "But I don't have to like it."

MIMIMI

After sitting in the clinic stewing most of the day, Izzie marched up to the main nurses station to confront whoever was gathered there.

Nurse Tyler was standing at her usual post. Izzie decided she was her best bet at a peaceful confrontation.

"Nurse Tyler?" she said politely.

"Yes, Dr. Stevens?" Tyler responded, just as politely.

"Do you think you could tell me why all of the nurses are refusing to work with me?" Izzie inquired. "I know I've been a bit distracted, what with being pregnant and all, but I don't recall doing anything that might offend them."

"Personally, Dr. Stevens, I don't have a problem with you," Tyler said frankly. "I think you're one of the nicer surgeons, much more considerate than some, but the younger, _single_ nurses seem to have taken issue with you. It just happens that they're the only ones working this shift, which is why there is no one willing to work with you."

"Do you know why exactly they've taken issue with me?" Izzie asked.

Just then, Olivia passed by and Tyler waved her over. "Nurse Olivia? Do you think you could explain to Dr. Stevens why you and your friends have enacted this little…protest against her?" she asked pointedly.

Olivia shot Izzie a poisonous look. "We, the Nurses United Against Mark Sloan, are against working with this…slut. We refuse to associate with someone who gives women everywhere a bad name. She is a filthy little piece of trailer trash who uses low tricks to catch a man and we want no part of her."

Sticking her snub little nose in the air, Olivia waltzed off before Izzie could respond. Izzie looked at Tyler in shock for a moment.

"Seriously?" she choked out, barely able to breathe.

Tyler sighed. "Seriously. Don't worry, I've reworked the schedule so that there are enough married nurses working the rest of the week that you won't miss out on any surgeries. Let them throw their tantrum. I, for one, am happy for you. You shouldn't fret over what they're doing; you just focus on doing your job and taking care of your baby."

Izzie gave him a weak smile. "Thanks, Tyler. I'll try," she assured him.

MIMIMI

When Mark got home that night, he found all of the lights out downstairs. Trusting his gut instinct, he made his way upstairs and into the master bedroom. Smiling slightly to himself, he heard the slight rustle of bath water. He gently pushed the door open to find Izzie sprawled out in their tub, surrounded by a mountain of sweet smelling bubbles. Undressing soundlessly, Mark slipped into the tub behind her and secured her against his broad, strong chest, his hands resting on her baby bump.

"Hi," she murmured drowsily.

"Hi," Mark replied. "Comfy?"

"Exceedingly," Izzie purred.

"What kind of bubble bath is this?" Mark asked. "Is it drugged or something?"

Izzie giggled. "It's lavender aromatherapy bubble bath. It helps with relaxation. Trust me, I need relaxation after today."

"Aw, what happened?" Mark asked, softly kissing the curve of her neck that was revealed by the pile of silken hair on her head.

"Oh, the stupid Nurses United Against Mark Sloan are now boycotting me and they were _all_ working today so I didn't get to do any surgeries," Izzie said, annoyance creeping into her voice. "Apparently I am a slut who gives women a bad name and they refuse to associate with me."

"Seriously?" Mark said. "Since when are you a slut? You haven't slept with anyone but me in over six months. You've slept with what? Three guys since you started working here? Where do they get off calling you a slut?"

"I don't know," Izzie said, sounding truly baffled. "That's just what Olivia told me today when I asked about it. Luckily, Tyler is a saint and has more non-NUAMS people scheduled this week in an effort to thwart them."

"That is totally unacceptable," Mark said indignantly. "I'm going to the Chief."

"No, Mark, don't," Izzie implored. "At least not yet. Give me a day or two to figure out what's really going on before you intervene."

Mark frowned into her pleading brown eyes. "If you start to stress about this too much, I don't care what you say, I'm going to the Chief. For the good of you and Riley. I don't want those bitches doing anything that could hurt you two."

"I love that you're so protective," Izzie said, tipping her head back to kiss his chin, covering his hands with hers. "But we'll be fine. We're tougher than we look."

"It's my job to be protective," Mark said. "It comes with the territory. One word from you and I'll come galloping in on my white charger, ready to defeat the army of evil witches disguised as nurses."

"Thank you, Lanval. I'll keep that in mind."

_**A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! I'm not sure about this conflict, but I'm going with my gut on this one. Let me know what you think! P.S. Lanval is one of King Arthur's knights from the poem "Lanval" by Marie de France. Awesome poem btw. If you get bored, look it up, it's a great story. Again, PLEASE REVIEW!!**_


	18. You're The Line In The Sand

Chapter 18

"Bitch."

"Whore."

"Slut."

These were the whispered epithets that followed Izzie through the halls of Seattle Grace for the next two weeks. She tried not to let them affect her, but they were a slow poison to someone like her. Izzie wanted people to like her. It was something she thrived on. And if someone didn't like her, she at least wanted to understand why they had developed a distaste for her. Now she had half the nursing staff apparently hating her guts and she had no clue why. Despite her brave words to Mark, she didn't know what to do. She knew if she mentioned it to Meredith and Cristina, they would immediately go off and make a big deal about it, but she didn't want them to make things worse. She would do this her own way, in her own time.

"Hey, sunshine, how are you and the little one doing?" Mark asked, coming up behind Izzie, rubbing her stomach.

"Mmm," Izzie purred, leaning back against him. "We're alright. Your son is sapping all of my energy."

"Are you making sure to eat a little bit every few hours?" Mark asked, frowning.

"Yes, I'm eating as much as I can, but he still wears me out," Izzie explained. "How's your day going?"

"It's going pretty well. My surgeries have gone well and I've got my girl and my baby in my arms. What guy could ask for more?" Mark declared.

As he said this, Izzie saw Olivia shoot her a death glare from the other side of the hall before stalking away. Inwardly sighing, Izzie pulled away.

"As much as I love being in your arms, I've got to get back to work," Izzie demurred.

"Ok," Mark groaned reluctantly. "I'll meet you at home?"

"I'll be the fat, pregnant girl on the couch," Izzie half-joked with a self-deprecating smile. Kissing him swiftly, she quickly followed Olivia.

MIMIMI

"Olivia!" Izzie called, following the redheaded nurse into the stairwell, pulling her to a stop before she could storm up the stairs.

"What do _you_ want?" Olivia snarled.

"Would you just tell me what crawled up your butt and died?" Izzie snapped. "Why are you and your little friends going around calling me a slut and a whore? What could I possibly have done to you? I haven't stolen anyone from you, I haven't been rude to you, hell, I hadn't even spoken to you in months when you decided to lead this little kibosh on me."

"Which would you like first?" Olivia bit out. "Just _my _reasons, or everyone else's? You know what, I'll start out simply so you don't get too lost, Blondie." Izzie shot her a murderous glare. "Hey, if the shoe fits. Ok, so, all of the other single nurses hate you because you stole away their chief stud. Do you know how hard it is to find a man who can give multiple orgasms? Hell, most men don't even think to give one. And you, selfish bitch that you are, have total control of that and you got it in one of the most low, despicable ways possible. Which brings me to why _I_ loathe and despise you. You give single women everywhere a bad name. You strut around with your pregnant belly and your hot plastic surgeon and your tall blonde self and you don't even think about anyone else. You had a decent, sweet guy give up everything for you and then you choose the shallow pretty boy. You manipulate everyone around you. You even trapped Mark with this pregnancy. You found a weak spot and you played on it. But you know what? One day, you're going to end up a withered divorcee while he moves on to a new piece of ass. And when you are? Just remember what a great, dependable guy you could have had."

Izzie looked thoroughly flabbergasted. "_Seriously_?" she cried in utter disbelief. "God, where should I even start with that? Oh, yeah, how about with the part where you all united _against_ Mark because you got your panties in a wad because he had seduced all of you. You pulled this boycott shit on him before Dr. Bailey showed you that you were being idiots. I didn't _plan_ to get pregnant. I didn't _plan _for any of this to happen, but it did, and I love him. As for your issues, I can't believe this is about George. George, the guy you gave syphilis to because you were sleeping with Alex. What business do you have defending George? You have no clue what went one between me and George and it's really none of your damn business."

"Every bit of it is my damn business!" Olivia screeched. "I'm the one who's having to put him back together after you were such a bitch to him and chose that manwhore over him. He was a wreck! Until I came along, he was depressed and drained and just a mess. So it is my business!"

"God, what bullshit!" Izzie exclaimed. "George chose all of this, Olivia. Everything that's happened to him has been his choice. He _chose_ to run off and marry Callie. He _chose_ to leave her after we had sex. He _chose_ to end our relationship and then he went off in a snit after I moved on. _He_ is the one who is getting all worked up about Mark and me. Everyone else is truly happy for us. So, you know what, Olivia? Screw you if you're gonna buy all of his 'poor me' bullshit!"

With that, Izzie stormed off. She stalked all the way to the main nurses' station and was relieved to find Tyler there. She plastered on a smile. "Tyler, would you be a dear and page all of the available nurses who are currently boycotting working with me and have them gather here, please?"

Tyler raised a skeptical eyebrow, but said, "If that's what you want, Dr. Stevens."

"Thank you, Tyler," Izzie said, going into the file room to catch her breath and calm down. Ten minutes later, Tyler stuck his head in.

"Dr. Stevens? They're ready for you."

Taking one last deep breath, Izzie exited her safe haven. A large group of the younger nurses were gathered around the desk, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"I know you all have decided to take issue with my relationship with a certain attending," Izzie said calmly. "But, as we live in a country where we are innocent until proven guilty, I would just like to state my case for the record. I did not trap Mark with this pregnancy. It just happened. We were just friends who were going to be having a baby together. Love just happens. Mark is a great guy. He's wonderful and kind and considerate. I couldn't help falling in love with him. One day, I hope, all of you will find someone just as wonderful, but _please_, just let Mark and I be happy and let us do our jobs in peace."

Izzie searched the eyes of the gathered nurses. While some looked reluctant, they all seemed to accept what she said. Smiling her gratitude, Izzie walked away, feeling satisfied that the world was finally returning to normal.

MIMIMI

That night when Izzie got home, she found Mark in the kitchen. He was freshly showered and wearing an old pair of jeans and a soft, close fitting black t-shirt and was barefoot. To Izzie's surprise, he was cooking. The smell of a fragrant marinara sauce permeated the air, mingling with the scent of fresh garlic bread. The table was set for two, with a bright bouquet of pink roses in the middle, flanked by two lighted candles.

"Wow," Izzie said, dropping her bag on the hall table. "What's all this?"

"I heard, that someone was victorious today," Mark said. "The nurses have been breached, all resistances are gone. Dr. Stevens has triumphed. This, my love, is your victory dinner!"

"You are most definitely my hero now," Izzie sighed, wrapping her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheek to his warm back. "Not all resistances are gone. Olivia still hates me, but that's nothing new. She can just get over herself."

"That's the best way to look at it," Mark agreed. "Now, you go sit at that table while I put the finishing touches on dinner."

Smiling in pleasure, Izzie did as she was ordered. A few minutes later, she and Mark were sitting at their cozy kitchen table, eating spaghetti and meatballs. After a few minutes of silent contentment, Izzie looked up to find Mark just staring at her with his sexy little half-smile.

"What?" Izzie asked, blushing self-consciously. "Do I have sauce on my face or something?"

Mark shook his head. "You are so beautiful."

"Where did that come from?" Izzie asked, still blushing.

"Something you said earlier, about being the fat pregnant girl," Mark explained. "You aren't fat. You are gorgeous and beautiful and amazing and I love you. I just thought you should know."

Izzie couldn't do anything but grin back at him.

_**A/N: Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! More conflict to come, but more fluff shall be interspersed, along with Izzie giving birth! REVIEW!!**_


	19. In This Crazy Life

Chapter 19

"Wake up, Izzie!"

Mark's unusually playful voice penetrated Izzie's consciousness one Saturday morning. She refused to open her eyes; she was 36 weeks into this pregnancy and wanted to sleep the day away, despite the fact that it was her hot boyfriend waking her up. She was huge and had to sleep on her back, which she hated. Her ankles were swollen and she missed being able to see her feet. In short, she was pregnant and grumpy.

"Go 'way! Need sleep!" Izzie grumbled, pulling the covers over her head.

"So sleep is more important than getting presents?" Mark taunted, pulling the covers back and kissing her neck.

Izzie drew the covers down further. "Presents?" she asked, her eyes slightly open, looking at him suspiciously.

"Yes, presents," Mark repeated. "Presents and food and friends are waiting for you downstairs if you'll get up and out of bed."

Slowly, Izzie sat up, still looking disgruntled. "Ok. Tell my crazy friends I'll be downstairs in 15 minutes."

"Good morning," Mark said, pulling her in for a deep kiss. Then, he leaned down and kissed her belly. "Good morning to you too, Riley."

"I'll meet you downstairs," Izzie said, smiling fondly at his morning ritual.

MIMIMI

"So, who's idea was this?" Izzie asked, joining her friends in her living room. She could hear Mark moving around in the kitchen.

"The idea was Mark's," Lexie explained. "But Meredith and I organized everything, well, except for the food. We let Mark take care of the food because we can't cook."

"This is really great, you guys," Izzie said, taking in the baby blue balloons and the neat pile of presents. "I didn't expect any of this."

"You think we were gonna let you have a baby and not give you some sort of shower?" Dr. Bailey asked. "That boy must be draining away those brains of yours, Stevens."

"Which one?" Izzie joked.

Everyone else joined in the laughter. "What's so funny?" Mark demanded, bringing in a tray full of mini sausage rolls and fruit.

"Nothing," Izzie sang out innocently. "Thank you for thinking of this."

"You're welcome," Mark said. "So, do you want to go ahead and open your presents?"

MIMIMI

Izzie sat on the couch, laughing at an anecdote Lexie was telling about her niece when she felt a sharp pain. She was surrounded by a small mountain of presents. Piles of onesies and baby blankets and soft toys were scattered around her on the floor. She had been feeling a dull ache in her back since she woke up, but this was the first sharp pain and she couldn't conceal a wince. Mark immediately took note of the wince from his spot beside her on the couch.

"Iz?" he asked, his voice full of concern. "You ok, sunshine?"

"I'm fine, just a bit of a pain in my back," Izzie said dismissively.

"Uh-huh," Bailey commented skeptically. "How long have you been having pain, Izzie?"

"Um, this is the first actual pain," Izzie replied. "But my back's been aching since I woke up and a little last night."

"Ok, Mark, grab her bag and start the car," Bailey ordered. "She's going into labor."

"Labor?" Mark said. "But, she's only 36 weeks."

"It's not unusual for babies to come this early," Miranda reminded him. "We just need to get her to the hospital and let her OB take a look at her. Grey, one of you, page Dr. McDaniel and tell him to be ready for us."

"I don't have a bag packed, yet," Izzie said.

"I'll get one together," Lexie offered. Izzie nodded her consent. Mark came over and placed a tender kiss on Izzie's forehead. Izzie smiled weakly up at him.

"Looks like your son is just as impatient as you are," Izzie teased. "He can't wait to get out and wreak havoc on the world."

Mark was chuckling as he went to start the car.

MIMIMI

Dr. McDaniel sighed as he finished examining Izzie.

"There's nothing I can do to stop your labor, Izzie. Your contractions are 4 minutes apart. You're dilated 5 centimeters and 40 effaced. Would you like an epidural or are you going cold turkey?"

"I'm going cold turkey," Izzie said bravely. "How long do you think this should take?"

"At the rate you're going? I'd say you've only got maybe 4 or 5 more hours, tops."

"Only 4 or 5 hours until we get to meet our boy," Mark said, kissing Izzie's hair, which was already developing a sheen of sweat from the contractions. "You're doing great, baby."

MIMIMI

"Mark Aiden Sloan, you are never laying a hand on me again, do you hear me?!" Izzie bellowed. They were now in the delivery room. Izzie was gripping Mark's hand as she pushed through the almost constant contractions.

"Alright, Izzie, you're doing great!" Dr. McDaniel said encouragingly. "I just need you to give me a few more really big pushes."

Mark encouraged Izzie as she continued to push. "You're amazing, sunshine. I love you so much. Keep going, sweetheart. We're almost there. Riley's almost here."

"Ok, he's crowning," Dr. McDaniel said. "One or two more big pushes and your son will be here."

A few very painful minutes later, Riley Aiden Sloan slid fully into the world, letting it know his distaste at the discomfort the process had caused him.

"I am so not even close to worthy," Mark breathed as he moved to cut the cord. He had just cut the cord and accepted his son from Dr. McDaniel when Izzie let out a pained gasp.

"Iz? What's wrong?" he asked, worriedly.

"I'm having another contraction," she said.

"It's just the afterbirth," Dr. McDaniel assured her.

"No, this feels just like it did earlier. The placenta is supposed to be less painful to deliver," Izzie said breathlessly. "I have to…PUSH!!"

Mark watched, holding his son helplessly, as Izzie continued to push. Dr. McDaniel quickly examined her.

"Looks like you've got a stowaway," he remarked incredulously. "Alright, Izzie, I'm sure you remember the drill. Just give me a few good pushes and we'll meet your little sneak."

Mark moved to stand at Izzie's head, whispering comforting words to her, while a nurse took Riley away to give him a quick clean up.

"You have a beautiful little girl," Dr. McDaniel announced, holding up the small, mewling baby up for them to see. Again, Mark moved to cut the cord as Izzie laid back. Once the placentas had been delivered, Mark took the babies from the nurses and brought them to Izzie.

"Hi Riley," she cooed as Mark handed her their son. She smiled up at him, noticing the protective hold her retained on their daughter. "Hi, baby girl. You were hiding from us, weren't you?"

"They're so tiny," Mark breathed in awe. "Especially her."

"They're both going to be perfectly healthy," Dr. McDaniel assured them. "They're just going to have to gain a little weight."

"What are we gonna name our little surprise?" Mark asked Izzie, not taking his eyes off the little girl in his arms.

"Katherine Anna Sloan," Izzie said firmly.

"Katherine? After my…my sister? After Kat?" Mark asked in a voice hoarse from emotion.

"Yes," Izzie said firmly. "She's a special girl and she should be named after someone who was so special to her daddy."

"Welcome to the world, Katherine Anna Sloan," Mark whispered. "We weren't expecting you, but we love you already and we can't wait to get to know you."

_**A/N: I know this is a little shorter than usual, but I think you'll forgive me since the babies are here!! Yes, there was a little surprise, but come one. Mark Sloan needs to have a daughter as well as a son. PLEASE REVIEW! I'd love to know what you think of this little twist I've tossed into the mix. **_


	20. Through These Crazy Times

Chapter 20

Izzie woke up later that evening to find Mark sitting by her bed, staring at her. Her whole body ached, but she felt amazingly content.

"Hi," she murmured sleepily.

"Hi," he said huskily, giving her a warm, tender smile.

"I didn't just dream it did I? We really have twins?" Izzie asked.

"You definitely didn't dream it," Mark told her. "We have a mini-McSteamy AND a mini-Izzie."

"Where are they?" Izzie asked, looking around the room.

"They're down in the nursery so you could get some rest," Mark replied.

"And they're ok? Katherine's ok?" Izzie asked anxiously. "She's not underdeveloped or anything?"

"She's fine," Mark assured her. "She's a little small, but her lungs are good and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her."

"How did we not see her on any of the ultrasounds?" Izzie wondered. "Aren't there usually two heartbeats?"

"Dr. McDaniel said that, in very rare cases, the twins hearts will beat in sync and one baby will be just large enough to hide the smaller baby during ultrasounds. We've got two pretty special kids," Mark explained. "Would you like me to go get them? It's probably getting close to feeding time."

Izzie nodded eagerly. Mark grinned as he stood up and leaned over her. "Thank you," he said softly, leaning down to give her a tender kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," Izzie replied, smiling brightly as Mark left the room. Mark hadn't been gone a minute when Meredith came in.

"Twins? Seriously, Izzie! Twins," she commented, leaning against the doorframe.

"What can I say?" Izzie said lightly. "We're overachievers."

"Congratulations," Meredith said. "They're adorable."

"Thanks," Izzie replied. "Did Mark tell you their names?"

"Yeah, he did. I love Riley Aiden. Where did Katherine Anna come from? Mark said you came up with it on your own."

"It was his sister's name and then my middle name," Izzie explained.

"That's sweet, Iz," Meredith said.

"Coming through," a voice called from the hallway. Meredith moved aside so that Mark and Derek could wheel in two baby bassinets, one holding a small blue bundle and the other holding a small pink bundle.

"Aw, my babies!" Izzie exclaimed. "Gimme!"

"Which one do you want first?" Mark asked, smiling indulgently.

"I can't have both?" Izzie pouted.

"You're still a little too weak to manage both," Mark replied. "So, you hold one and then I'll sit next you on the bed and hold the other one."

"Fine, give me Katherine first and then we'll trade," Izzie decreed. Mark carefully lifted Riley and transferred him to Izzie's eager arms.

"Hi, princess!" Izzie cooed at her little girl. "You were such a surprise! Mommy and Daddy are gonna have to get you all your own stuff. We just weren't expecting to have a little princess! But you're so beautiful and sweet! I could just eat you up!"

"Stop trying to eat our baby girl and scoot over for me and Riley," Mark said, coming over to the bed with his little boy cradled securely in his arms. Once he was settled next to Izzie, Mark finally remembered that Derek and Meredith were in the room.

"Hey, Shep, there's a camera in the front pocket of Izzie's bag. Can you take our first official family picture?" Mark asked his friend.

"Sure," Derek replied. He retrieved the camera and quickly snapped a few shots of the new family. Once he had placed the camera beside the bed for easy access, he paused to look at the babies.

"You're definitely gonna have your hands full," Derek commented. "This little girl looks exactly like her mama."

"I'm counting on you to help me with them," Mark warned. "We'll have to invest in some shotguns before she turns 16. And I'll need your help teaching him how to be a ladies' man."

Izzie and Meredith laughed incredulously. "Such a double standard!" Izzie scoffed. "Don't you worry, Riley, me and Auntie Meredith will make sure you're a true ladies' man, not like your daddy was before I improved him. And we'll make sure that Uncle Derek and Daddy don't smother you, Katherine. You're going to be a healthy, normal little girl."

"Katherine seems too big a name for such a little thing," Mark commented. "I think she looks more like a Katie. What do you think, baby girl?"

"I think she is most definitely a Katie," Izzie agreed. The four adults sat there admiring the babies for a while before Derek broke the silence.

"Just out of curiosity, have either of you told your parents about these little bundles of joy?" Derek asked quietly.

Mark and Izzie exchanged guilty looks.

"I haven't," Izzie admitted. She looked at Mark. "Have you?"

"I'm not sure my parents even know that I permanently live in Seattle," Mark replied.

"Well, I technically can't tell my mother until you tell yours," Derek said. "Unless you want to end up in seriously deep sh- I mean trouble."

"But I don't wanna," Mark whined.

"Bite the bullet and be a man," Derek ordered sternly.

"I don't wanna either," Izzie complained. "I just gave birth to twins. Isn't that enough pain and suffering for one day?"

"If I call mine, you have to call yours," Mark reasoned. They stared each other down for a few minutes, then looked at the babies. Mark groaned in defeat. "Fine. Hand me the dam-, darn phone."

Smiling ruefully, Mark handed Riley to Derek in exchange for the phone. Taking a fortifying breath, Mark dialed the all too familiar number.

"Hello?" a woman's voice drawled.

"Hello, Mother," Mark said stiffly.

"Mark? Is that you, son?" She sounded thoroughly flabbergasted.

"Yes, Mother, it's me," Mark replied patiently.

"Well, I can't remember the last time I heard from you," his mother said. "Last I heard you had jetted off to Seattle for some odd reason. Are you back in New York?"

"Um, no, Mother. I live in Seattle now. I have for over a year now," Mark informed her.

"A year? Really?" she exclaimed. "Well, I guess time just flies. What on earth made you stay in dreary old Seattle?"

"That's actually what I wanted to tell you, Mother," he said. "I came out here to try and mend things with Derek, but while I was out here, I met a wonderful woman. We've been together for a while now and, well, she just gave birth to my children."

"Your children?!" his mother exclaimed.

"Yes, Mother, we have twins, a boy and a girl," Mark explained. The other line was silent for a long while, although he could faintly hear his mother saying something rapidly, he assumed to his father. Then, he heard a deep voice in the distance. A moment later, his father got on the phone.

"Mark, what in the hell is your mother babbling about?" his gruff father demanded. "Some nonsense about you and a woman and twins?"

"Yes, Dad, my girlfriend and I are now the proud parents of twins, a boy and a girl," Mark said. "Riley Aiden and Katherine Anna."

"Since when do you let yourself get caught like this?" the elder Sloan demanded. "I thought you were supposed to be an expert Lothario, too smart to slip up and end up with a baby, let alone two."

"Let's get something straight, Dad," Mark said coldly. "I love Izzie and she loves me and we're thrilled about the twins."

"Well, then, we'll be out there in four days."

"Excuse me?" Mark choked out.

"Your mother and I are going to be in Seattle in six days to meet our grandchildren," his father informed him. "I expect you to have a room ready for us at your house."

"A room? At my house?"

"Yes, Mark, a room at your house. I assume you have a house?"

"Yes, Dad, we have a house," Mark replied dazedly.

"Well, then, we'll see you in six days. I'll have my secretary get all of the information to you."

With that, his father hung up the phone. Mark stared at the phone, feeling like he'd been run over by a Mac truck.

"What's wrong?" Izzie asked, lightly jiggling Katie as she started to fuss, sensing her father's distress.

"My parents are going to be here in six days to meet their grandchildren," Mark said, sounding a little winded.

"Great," Izzie groaned. "Ok, you took it like a man, now it's my turn. Katie, you go make Daddy feel better."

Giving Katie a light kiss on the forehead, Izzie took the phone from Mark and handed him the baby. He quickly cuddled her close, intently studying her delicate little face.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom, it's… it's me, Cricket," Izzie said nervously.

"Cricket? Sweetheart, it's been ages since I heard from you!" her mother exclaimed. "How are you?"

"I'm…I'm really good, Mom," Izzie replied. "That's actually why I was calling you. I know this is going to be a little bit of a shock, but I just gave birth to twins."

"You what?!"

"I just gave birth to twins," Izzie repeated patiently. "A boy and a girl."

"Who? How? When? Wh…?" her mother stammered.

"My boyfriend, Dr. Mark Sloan, is the father. We've been together for awhile now and we're very happy," Izzie supplied. "The babies are beautiful and healthy, although they were a little early."

"What are their names?" her mother asked quietly.

"Riley Aiden and Katherine Anna Sloan," Izzie replied.

"Well, I have this coming Friday off, so I'll be at your house around lunchtime. What's the address?"

Izzie didn't even bother protesting. She just mechanically recited the address and said good-bye.

"We might as well get it over with at once," Izzie explained when Mark gave her a disbelieving look. Mark just rolled his eyes and cuddled Katie closer.

_**A/N: A bit of a filler I know, but it's long and I wanted to bring in some of Izzie and Mark's past demons. PLEASE REVIEW!! **_


	21. You're A Carousel

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! All of the reviews give me warm fuzzies! Here is the longest chapter yet, by far, but just a warning, it is simply a fluff filled filler._

Chapter 21

"Meredith and I got a going-home present for the babies," Lexie chirped, bouncing into Izzie's hospital room as she was packing up. Mark was busy filling out her discharge papers and the babies were resting peacefully in their car seats. Mark had gone out the day before and purchased a double stroller with a blue car seat and a pink car seat that clipped in. Izzie smiled and took the brightly colored bag Lexie held out. She pulled out a cute little pink velour sleeper.

"We figured you'd be a little short on a really cute outfit to bring Katie home in, so we went and picked this up for her," Lexie explained. Riley was already dressed in a little Yankees onesy with a floppy matching baseball cap. Katie was still in the hospital shirt.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Izzie exclaimed. "This is adorable. I'm so glad she doesn't have to go home in that fugly little shirt. I would have sent Mark to get something, but as much as I love him, I so don't trust him to pick out clothes for our daughter."

"Of course not," Lexie agreed. "He's got a Y chromosome. Do you need help with anything? I've got the rest of the day off."

"I think we're good," Izzie said, adeptly changing Katie into her new outfit. "Alex is at the house setting up Katie's crib. He and Mark went and got duplicates of all the bedding and stuff to match Riley's. We've got a bunch of plain white and yellow little onesies that'll work until I can get to the store. At this point, I just want to get them home."

"Your wish is my command, my love," Mark said, entering the room. "You and our lovely children have been officially discharged by OB and peds."

"Well then let's get these little stinkers home," Izzie said, reluctantly sitting in the wheel chair that Tyler brought in. Mark pushed Izzie's wheelchair while Lexie brought up the rear with the babies.

MIMIMI

Late that night, Mark entered the softly lit nursery to find Izzie sitting in the chair, nursing Riley. Katie was peacefully sleeping in her Uncle Alex-assembled crib. The weak light from the lamp behind the chair cast a halo around Izzie's curls and cast enigmatic shadows around her and their son. Mark had woken up a few minutes ago to find her missing and he had known immediately where to look. The babies were well behaved. They had played a little when they arrived home, but for the most part they had just ate and slept all day. Although he had watched her nurse the babies every time they were hungry over the past 2 days, the sight of her nursing their children still filled him with this overwhelming mixture of tenderness and possessiveness.

"Hey, beautiful," Mark greeted her quietly.

"Hi," Izzie murmured. "He has your appetite."

Mark chuckled as he walked over to crouch beside her. "Thank you, Iz. For giving me such an amazingly precious gift."

"Hey, we made these little treasures together," Izzie reminded him. "We're a family now."

"Yeah," Mark agreed. "And our family is going to get even bigger on Friday. I still can't believe our parents are coming."

"Mark, we've both survived some of the worst tragedies life can throw at us," Izzie said. "I think we can handle our parents."

"Just promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise me we'll never do anything to make our kids dread our visits like we dread our parents'," Mark requested.

"So not possible for them to dread us as much as we dread our parents, even if we tried to screw up," Izzie vowed. "But we'll survive."

MIMIMI

After a short argument, Izzie agreed to order whatever clothes she thought Katie needed on-line since they both felt that they shouldn't take the babies out of the house for a while. Friday came around sooner than either Mark or Izzie expected. They spent most of the week bonding with the babies and making the cozy little nursery into a two-baby room. Thankfully, the babies were fairly routine and slept as much as newborns could be expected to sleep, especially at night.

Mark woke up Friday with a sense of dread. Izzie was already up and getting dressed when he finally decided to crack his eyes open.

"Mark, time to get up," Izzie encouraged, sitting down on the bed beside him. "The babies will be up soon and your parents flight gets in in two hours and my mom will be here in three."

"I don' wanna!" Mark whined.

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" Izzie teased. "Come on, it won't be that bad."

"Fine," Mark grumbled. Izzie kissed his temple and then flitted out of the room.

When Mark got out of the shower and threw on a pair of khakis and a light blue golf shirt, he went in search of Izzie. He checked the nursery, but the babies were both sleeping peacefully with no sign of Izzie. He was walking towards the stairs when he saw a blur flit into the biggest guestroom. Mark went to stand in the doorway of the room. She was wearing a pre-pregnancy pink baby doll dress and her fell in gentle waves around her face, although she pushed it behind her ears as she plumped the pillows. He couldn't help grinning as he watched Izzie fuss and move and straighten the room.

"Ok, bathroom has fresh towels, sheets are fresh, lunch stuff is ready," Izzie mumbled to herself.

"Who ya talkin' to?" Mark teased. Izzie jumped in surprise.

"You scared me!" she exclaimed in annoyance.

"You need to be resting, not rushing," Mark chastised.

"I just want everything to be perfect," Izzie explained. "And fretting and rushing keeps me distracted from the fact that you are going to have to meet my mother and I'm going to have to meet your parents."

"Everything will be fine," he soothed. "And if it's not, we have two shields of cuteness in the other room that could thaw the coldest hearts."

"I hope you're right."

MIMIMI

Mark stood in the lobby of the airport, waiting for his parents. Through the crowd, he spotted his father's iron colored hair and his tall, upright frame pushing a trolley full of expensive looking luggage. Beside him, his mother minced along in her chic tweed suit and perfectly styled bob. Mark didn't move to greet them; he let them come to him.

"Mark," his father said, formally, holding out his hand.

"Dad," Mark returned, shaking the proffered hand.

"My you're looking…prosperous," his mother said, turning her cheek up to him. Mark dutifully kissed her make-up coated, plastic surgery enhanced cheek.

"Mother, you look lovely, as usual," he said politely. "Well, why don't we head to the car? Dad, do you need any help with the bags?"

"No, thank you," his father replied, just lead the way to the car. Inwardly sighing, Mark led the way to the Mercedes S55 AMG that was waiting in the parking garage.

"This car isn't your usual mode of transportation," the elder Sloan commented.

"Well, when you have a family to drive around, Harleys really aren't the most practical things to own," Mark returned, helping his father to load the luggage into the car.

A few minutes later, Mark was driving away from Sea-Tac airport in a completely silent car.

"So, tell us about this girl," his mother broke the silence.

"Well, her name is Isobel Stevens, but everyone calls her Izzie. She's a second year resident at Seattle Grace. That's how we met, at work. She's an amazingly compassionate, kind, beautiful young woman and I love her," Mark said firmly.

"How long have you known her?" his father asked.

"Um, pretty much since I got here," Mark replied. "She was roommates with Derek's girlfriend and she was an intern when I got here, so we were kind of thrown together."

"What on earth possessed you to actually settle down and have a family with this girl?" his mother asked.

"Izzie's the type of girl I've always wanted to be with, Mother. She understands me and she makes me want to be the best that I can be. She doesn't have any expectations except that I love her."

"But to have children? So soon?" His mother sounded slightly disgusted.

"We didn't plan on having children, it just happened. To be honest, we didn't know we were having twins until we were in the delivery room. Katie kind of snuck up on us."

"Katie?" his father asked.

"Yes, my daughter, Katherine, we call her Katie," Mark clarified. "She hid behind Riley during all of the ultrasounds and their heartbeats were completely in sync. She's just as beautiful and sweet as her mama."

His parents were silent for a moment.

"Why did you name her Katherine?" his father asked.

"Izzie named her actually," Mark replied. After a shared look, his parents let the subject drop for the moment.

MIMIMI

Izzie had moved the babies to the playpen in the living room. She was pacing the length of the living room when she heard the Mercedes roll up. She rushed over to the hall mirror to make sure she looked presentable and then went to open the door.

Mark and an older version of Mark were unloading several suitcases from the trunk of the car while a well-dressed woman of indeterminate age was studying the outside of the house. Izzie pasted on a smile and went to meet them.

"Hi!" she called. "I'm Izzie! Welcome to our home!"

Mark smiled at her, relieved to have back up. "Izzie this is my mom, Margaret Sloan, and my father, Mitchell Sloan. Mother, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Izzie Stevens."

"Izzie, a pleasure to meet you," Margaret said graciously, shaking her hand.

"Don't I recognize you from somewhere?" Mitchell asked, shaking her hand as well.

"Um, you might have seen some of the ad campaigns I modeled for to work my way through college and med school," Izzie said, blushing slightly.

"Come on, Dad, I'll show you and Mother up to your room and then you can meet the babies," Mark interjected, trying to avoid any awkwardness. Carrying the largest of the suitcases, Mark led the way up the staircase.

"This is a lovely house, Mark," Margaret commented as they walked down the hall. "Who was your decorator?"

"Izzie was, actually," Mark replied. "She went through an extremely intense nesting phase when she was about six months along and she decorated the entire house."

"Really?" Margaret said neutrally.

"Well, this is your room," Mark said, leading the way into the impeccable pale yellow room. "The bathroom is next door."

"Thank you," Mitchell said. "We'll be down shortly."

Mark nodded and headed down to the safe haven of Izzie and the twins.

MIMIMI

"Now, where are my grandchildren?" Margaret asked as she and Mitchell joined Mark and Izzie in the living room where they were each holding a child.

Smiling, Izzie motioned for her to come take the third spot on the couch. When Margaret was settled, Izzie moved the baby so she could get a better look.

"This handsome little devil is Riley Aidan," Izzie told her. "He's the oldest and most definitely his father's son."

"He certainly looks like Mark did as an infant," Margaret agreed.

"And this little angel," Mark said, "is the little princess of the house, Katherine Anna. Riley, Katie these are your grandparents."

"Oh, she is a beautiful baby," Margaret cooed. "She looks like a little doll. She's so tiny."

"She was four weeks early and her big brother hogged most of the room in the womb, but she's sturdy," Izzie explained.

"Would you like to hold her?" Mark asked his mother.

"Oh." Margaret looked surprised. "Um, yes, certainly."

Mark got up and gently transferred Katie into her grandmother's arms. Margaret held her a little stiffly, but studied her with obvious affection. "Did you know I haven't held a baby since your sister was born?" Margaret asked quietly. The awkward silence was only broken by the babies' small gurgles and squeaks.

"Mitchell?" Izzie said. "Would you like to hold Riley?"

Mitchell looked cold and distant. "No, thank you. I'm not very good with babies."

Mark opened his mouth to lash out at his father, but before he had the chance, the doorbell rang.

"That's probably my mom," Izzie said, standing up. "Here, Mark, take Riley. I'll go let her in."

Izzie adeptly passed Riley to Mark and hurried to the door, surreptitiously fussing with her appearance.

Taking a steadying breath, Izzie opened the door. A haggard looking woman in a well worn, but neat dress stood on the doorstep looking supremely uncomfortable.

"Hi, Mom," Izzie greeted her cheerfully. "I'm so glad you could make it. Please, come in."

"Hello, Cricket," Barbara Stevens said, kissing her daughter's cheek. Izzie was pleased to note that the smell of smoke and alcohol that permeated her childhood memories of her mother were noticeably absent. "My, this is an awfully big place you have here. It's nice. Very cozy."

"Thanks," Izzie replied. "Mark picked it out and then I decorated everything during my spare time. Well, come on into the living room. Mark's parents are here as well. They flew in from New York to see the babies."

Izzie led the way to join the Sloans. Mark stood up when they entered the room, still cradling Riley in one arm.

"Mom, this is my boyfriend, Mark Sloan," Izzie said. "That little bundle of joy he's got there is Riley."

"Pleased to finally meet you, Barbara," Mark said, holding out his free hand. "Izzie always talks about you when she's on one of her baking streaks."

"My Cricket certainly has talent in the kitchen," Barbara said modestly.

"These are my parents, Margaret and Mitchell," Mark introduced. Barbara politely shook hands with Mitchell and nodded politely to Margaret, who was still holding Katie. "And then Mother's holding little Katie."

"Oh, let me see one of my grandbabies," Barbara exclaimed. "I couldn't believe it when Izzie told me."

"Here, you can take Riley," Mark said, shifting the baby into his grandmother's arms. "He's our more outgoing one."

"He's certainly a handsome boy," Barbara cooed, sitting down in a chair with the baby. "He's going to be the spitting image of his father and grandfather. Hi, Riley, I'm your Mimi."

"They're such good babies," Margaret commented. "Do they ever cry?"

"Oh, believe me, when they're hungry or wet, they'll let you know," Izzie replied, chuckling a little. "But for the most part, they are very happy babies."

"Katie's a lazy bones. We have to wake her up at night so she can eat," Mark added.

Margaret and Barbara continued to ask all the appropriate questions about the babies. Mitchell just sat on the far side of the room in stony silence.

_**A/N: Wow, that one kind of wrote itself. Part one of the family meeting is through. Part two should be a bit more…shall we say interesting? PLEASE REVIEW!! **_


	22. When I Go Too Far

Chapter 2

_**A/N: I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update. Combine distraction and writer's block and this is what you get! Enjoy!**_

Chapter 22

Mark helped his mother put the babies down for a nap while Izzie put the finishing touches on lunch. Rather than eat in the kitchen as they usually did, Izzie had set up the formal dinning room. It was the first time they had used it and Mark felt slightly awkward as he joined his parents, Izzie's mom and Izzie at the glossy mahogany table. Izzie had prepared a beautiful roast, with new potatoes and carrots and green beans and fresh baked rolls. The lunch started out in awkward silence and proceeded from there.

"So, Izzie, how did you and Mark end up together?" Barbara asked after several minutes of tense silence broken only by the noise of cutlery and china.

"Um." Izzie sent Mark a questioning look. They had done their best not to tell their parents the gory details of their relationship, but they didn't want to lie to them. "Well, we were both going through a hard time and we decided to hang out and my house and bake and one thing led to another and we ended up…"

"With two buns in the oven," Mark finished, chuckling uncomfortably. "After that night we decided to just be friends but things just kind of evolved from there."

"So you weren't even together when the twins were conceived?" Mitchell sneered. "Why am I not surprised?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Dad?" Mark snapped.

"You just never do anything in the proper manner," Mitchell retorted. "You can't even have a family in the proper way. You're living with the woman you accidentally impregnated with twins. You're not even engaged, let alone married. Heaven forbid you do what is expected of you. You couldn't go into the family business; you had to be a doctor. You're not even a meaningful doctor; you're a plastic surgeon. You couldn't marry a nice girl from a nice family and live in the Hamptons with her. You have to impregnate some whore from a trailer park and live in Seattle. So, at this point, Mark, nothing you do can surprise me."

Mark stared at his father, flabbergasted. "You really expected me to want that life, Dad? I was miserable growing up, so was Kat. All we wanted was some attention and affection. We were just accessories to an image for you guys. We were desperate for you to notice us and love us. I have never _ever _wanted that kind of desperation for my kids. And Izzie is not a whore! She is a kind, wonderful person who loves me like I haven't been loved since Kat died!"

"Don't you _dare_ bring your sister into this!" Mitchell roared. "I adored that little girl and you took her! You killed her! And now you have the gall to name your bastard daughter after her!"

Mark looked as if he had been physically struck. Izzie's face held a horrified look that matched that of her mother's and Margaret's.

When Mark finally spoke, he was deathly calm. "Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. My. House! You have no right to invite yourself out here and then insult my family and me. You will never EVER call my children bastards again! Hell, you'll never even see them again if I have anything to say about it! _You_ were the reason I went out that night, Dad! You and your overbearing, suffocating self-importance and constantly unfeeling behavior towards Kat and me is the reason she's not here playing with her niece and nephew. Now, get the hell out of my house and don't come back!"

"Margaret, let's go!" Glaring daggers at Mark and Izzie, Mitchell stormed out of the house, slamming the door. Outraged wails came over the baby monitor.

"I'll go take care of them," Barbara said, hastily exiting the room.

"Mother, you are welcome to stay," Mark offered politely. He felt no hatred towards her. She had always seemed to be a cool, beautiful doll to him and all he could feel for her was pity.

"Thank you, dear," Margaret said, "But I should go with your father. I'd like to come and visit every now and then, if that's alright?"

"Of course," Izzie said, finally finding her voice. "We want the children to know their grandmother."

15 minutes later, Mark had helped Margaret put their luggage in a cab, while Mitchell stood in austerely furious silence at the end of the driveway. His parents were now gone, heading to the airport after what had to be a world record visit. They had only been in Seattle for three hours and he was more exhausted than he had ever been, including his entire residency.

MIMIMI

Mark trudged back into the house after seeing his parents off. Izzie and her mom were doing the dishes in the kitchen, but Izzie stopped scrubbing to come and wrap him in a warm hug.

"Go have some twin time," Izzie ordered. Mark pulled back to give her a confused look. "You look totally demoralized. Go spend some time with two of the people who adore you most in the world and the third one will join you soon."

"Ah, twin time, yes, that sounds like a good idea," Mark said slowly, comprehension dawning. "Barbara, I'm so sorry you had to see all that. It was nice to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you too," Barbara said. "Hopefully next time we can have a less stressful meal."

"I'll be up in a bit," Izzie promised, kissing him quickly, but firmly before he left the kitchen. Once Mark had headed up the stairs, Izzie returned to the sink. As she continued washing, Izzie felt her mother sneaking glances at her.

"What?" she asked self-consciously.

"You're really happy, aren't you?" Barbara commented.

Izzie looked a little startled. "Yeah, I am. How could I not be?"

"Mark seems to be a really great guy. Much better than I ever dreamed you would find," Barbara said. "I know it sounds awful, but I was always so sure you'd end up like me. I'm thrilled that you've done so well for yourself."

"I always knew there was more out there for me," Izzie replied quietly. "That's why I gave up Hannah. I knew I couldn't build the life I knew I was meant for if I had to support a baby. I wanted a better life for both of us and we've both got it. I have a man I love and two babies I adore upstairs."

"Was I…was I a horrible mother?" Barbara asked, fear in her voice.

Izzie paused for a second, trying to figure out how to word her reply. "No…you weren't horrible. You did the best you knew how to do in a bad situation. Were you the best mother in the world? No. But you were my mom and I love you and that's what matters."

"Well, since I wasn't the best mother in the world, would you be willing to give me the chance to be the best grandmother in Seattle at least?" Barbara asked. "I've got my act together and I want to be there for you and Mark and the twins, if you'll let me."

"I would love to let you be the best grandmother in Seattle," Izzie replied, drawing her mom into a hug. "Nothing would make me happier."

MIMIMI

Mark went upstairs as Izzie suggested and made his way to the nursery. He found both babies lying comfortably in their cribs, awake, but entertained by the animal mobiles dancing overhead. He just stood there for a while, studying each of them in turn. Smiling warmly, Mark scooped up Riley and then Katie and made his way into the master bedroom. Once there he lay the twins in the middle of the bed and then stretched out beside them.

"Hey, little ones," Mark murmured softly. "It's been a pretty crazy day, huh? I know you don't really get what's going on here, but Daddy and Grandpa Mitchell don't really get along. I'm sorry if we scared you with the yelling. Daddy loves you guys more than all the stars in the sky and I promise that I won't ever make you be anyone other than yourselves." He paused to kiss each tiny hand and tiny forehead before continuing. "You're Aunt Kat would have loved to have met you guys. She was always playing house and taking care of babies when we were growing up. Your mommy is a lot like her, you know. They share the same sunny spirit and ability to make your daddy comfortable and happy. You guys make me happy too, yes you do. You and your mommy are the best things to ever happen in my crazy life. I love all of you more than you'll ever know."

The babies, as babies do, simply smiled up at him and continued to play with their fingers.

MIMIMI

Once Barbara had left, Izzie made her way up to the nursery to find her family. When she didn't find Mark or the twins in the nursery, she went to the master bedroom and paused in the doorway. Her heart swelled at the sight that greeted her. Mark was stretched out on his side of the bed. Riley and Katie were lying next to him in the middle of the bed, protected by Mark's arms. All three were sound asleep.

Moving as quietly as she could, Izzie removed her shoes and joined them, stretching out on her side of the bed next to Riley. She mirrored Mark's position, resting her arms on top of his. The slight movement woke Mark and his eyes fluttered open sleepily and he smiled at her.

"Hey," he murmured, his voice thick with slumber.

"Hi," she whispered back. "Did you three wear yourselves out?"

"I guess I bored them to sleep with my talking," Mark said, still keeping his voice soft. "And fighting with my father takes a lot out of me."

"I'm sorry things didn't go well between you," Izzie said sympathetically.

"Dad will be Dad," Mark replied. "I'm glad that Mother and I have found common ground. I'm just sorry you and your mom had to see that."

"Don't worry about it," Izzie assured him. "I just want to make sure you're ok."

"I'll be fine," Mark said. "It's…freeing. Like all of the chains of my childhood have disintegrated. Mostly thanks to you and our little miracles here."

"Well, we're happy to help," Izzie said, smiling warmly at him. "I love you, Mark."

"I love you too," Mark said, kissing her knuckles. He sighed, now perfectly content after his horrific day.


	23. It's Kinda Cute

_A/N: This chapter is a transition chapter and was a bugger to write, but here it is. I'm setting up a story arch that will carry us through to the end. PLEASE REVIEW!!_

Chapter 23

After the little family blow up, life settled into a routine. After two weeks, Mark reluctantly went back to work. Izzie stayed at home with the twins for another six weeks before joining him. They discussed nannies, but decided to have the twins stay at the hospital daycare so that they could see them when they wanted and Mark could keep them in his office with him whenever possible and everyone else was happy to help out. Izzie's mom came in once a month to spend the weekend with the family and give Mark and Izzie a chance to go out. Mark made a point of talking to his mother once a week and they were working on becoming closer. Mark and Izzie were, all in all, happy. Time flew by and before they knew it, a year had passed.

One Saturday, a few weeks before the twins' first birthday, Meredith and Izzie were sitting around the kitchen table enjoying Izzie's special French toast while the boys were out fishing. The twins were playing in the playpen set up in the kitchen.

"God, I can't believe they're going to be a year old soon," Meredith remarked, smiling at the happy-go-lucky babies. She had been slightly wary of the babies at first, but she was now a whole-hearted participant in the community rearing of the Sloan twins.

"I know," Izzie agreed. "They're growing up too fast. Did I tell you that Katie said her first word?"

"No, what was it?" Meredith asked.

"Dada," Izzie groaned playfully.

Meredith couldn't help laughing. "I'm sure Mark was quite pleased with himself. Katie is most definitely going to be Daddy's little girl."

"At least Riley's first word was Mama," Izzie consoled herself.

"And Katie being a Daddy's girl will come back to bite Mark in about 15 years," Meredith pointed out, "because while she is a daddy's girl, she looks exactly like her mama."

"This is true," Izzie mused, smiling at the thought. "I'll just have to make sure Riley has more respect for women than his father did up until two years ago and I won't have to worry about a thing, whereas Mark will be fretting and worrying from the time she turns 14 until the day he dies."

Meredith and Izzie cracked up at the thought. They were still laughing when Mark and Derek trooped in.

"What's so funny?" Mark demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Izzie demurred lifting her face to meet his kiss. "Did you boys catch anything?"

"Not a blasted thing," Derek groused good-naturedly, kissing Meredith.

At the sight of their father, the babies started to coo and wave their arms in excitement. "Hey munchkins!" he greeted them. His face lit up by a smile, he bent down and picked up Riley while Derek picked Katie up.

"Hey little man," Mark said, tickling Riley. "Have you been good for Mama and Aunt Meredith?"

"Katie-girl, you are just too cute for your own good," Derek informed the grinning baby. Before anyone could say anything else, Derek's phone rang. Handing Katie off to Izzie, Derek left the room to answer it.

"Uncle Derek's right, sugar bear," Izzie cooed. "You are too cute for your own good. So are you, little man." She chucked Riley under the chin affectionately.

"Wait, wait, wait," Mark protested. "My son is not _cute_. He's handsome or good-looking, not _cute_."

"Since when?" Izzie asked, looking thoroughly amused by Mark's need to preserve his son's masculinity.

"Since he's almost a year old," Mark said. "Pretty soon he'll be big enough to play catch and go fishing. He doesn't need to be getting a complex by being called cute."

"Yes, sir," Izzie mocked, grinning at him. Mark would have defended himself, but Derek walked in, looking shell-shocked.

"Derek, what is it?" Meredith asked, standing up and taking his hands in hers.

"Amy's dead," Derek murmured, groping for a chair to sit in.

"Amy, as in your sister Amy?" Mark asked, his face paling noticeably as he too took a seat.

"Amy as in my baby sister, the one sister I can tolerate, whom I love and adore," Derek confirmed. "The little girl who used to tag along on our heals and worship us and Kat is dead. Her husband, too."

"How? When?" Meredith asked, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

"Um, last night. It was a car accident," Derek explained. "They had gone into the city to catch a play and were driving back. A drunk driver was going the wrong way and hit them head on. Thank God Chris wasn't with them."

"Chris?" Izzie asked.

"Their son, my nephew/godson," Derek replied. "He had just been born when everything went down in New York. He's, gosh, I guess he's about 4 now."

"That poor thing," Izzie said, cuddling Katie closer.

"When are we headed to New York?" Meredith asked.

"We?" Derek asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"Yes, we," Meredith said, giving him a pointed look. "We are a unit, darling. We are supposed to support each other through thick and thin. You've helped me deal with my drama and family issues, now I get the chance to help you. Now, I repeat, when are we going to New York?"

"Kathleen says that the funerals will be on Wednesday. I thought we would arrange things at the hospital and leave tomorrow," Derek said wearily, running a hand over his face.

"I'll make the travel arrangements," Mark said, taking charge of the situation. "Iz, you'll want to start packing for the babies and us. Mer, you go and start packing for you and Derek. Der, you go and get things settled with the hospital and get in touch with your mom; she'll need to hear from you at a time like this."

"Why does Izzie need to pack?" Derek asked.

Mark gave him an incredulous look. "Seriously? You think after you made me keep going after Kat's accident I'm going to let you go through the exact same thing without me? And where I go, Izzie and the twins go and the little ones will be a good distraction for your mom."

Derek looked flabbergasted. "I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," Mark insisted. "Just got let Richard know he's going to be short two attendings and two residents and two babies for the next week. I don't have anything that can't be rescheduled."

"Alright, I'll drop Mer at the house and then go talk to Richard," Derek agreed. He wasn't used to Mark bossing him around, but he decided just to accept it and do what he was told. He was a bit too shocked to do anything else.

MIMIMI

By six p.m. Eastern Standard Time the next day, Mark was parking the rented SUV in front of Derek's childhood home. The fates had smiled on them and the babies had been surprisingly well behaved throughout the flight and the drive from the airport to the cozy neighborhood in the Hamptons. Despite the babies' happy cooing, the trip was a somber one. Derek's eyes were heavy with sorrow and he clung to Meredith's hand like it was a buoy in a storm. The only time he even showed any sign of the normal Derek was when Katie or Riley reached out to him.

Before they were even out of the car, Derek's mother appeared on the stately old porch, hugging herself. Maureen Shepherd was a small woman with thick wavy hair that was once as dark as her son's, but was now a deep gray and the same blue eyes as Derek, heavy with the same soul deep sadness.

"Go to her," Mark murmured to Derek, who was helping him unload luggage while the women unloaded the twins. "The bags can wait; she shouldn't."

Shooting Mark a grateful look, Derek quickly strode across the lawn to pull his mother in for a big hug. By the time the rest of the group joined them on the porch, Derek and his mother were blinking back tears.

"Markie?" Maureen breathed, a small spark appearing in her sad eyes. "Oh, it's so good to see you, my boy." Extricating herself from Derek, Maureen threw her arms around Mark in an exuberant hug. "It's been far too long."

"Hi Mom," Mark said, returning the hug with equal enthusiasm. "I'm sorry I stayed away so long. I've been a bit distracted." Pulling away, he indicated Izzie and the twins.

"Very legitimate distractions," Maureen commented. "Now, I know Meredith from the _one_ time Derek's bothered to come home in almost four years. But who is this lovely young lady and who do these little angels belong to?"

"That lovely young lady is my girlfriend, Izzie Stevens, and those little angels are our almost one year old twins, Riley Aiden and Katherine Anna," Mark introduced proudly.

"Mark Sloan, I never thought I'd hear those words from you," Maureen said. "Welcome to the family, Izzie. It's so nice to meet you, even if it's under such…grim circumstances."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Izzie said compassionately. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh, no, dear, you've done more than enough, just bringing Mark and these adorable little ones home," Maureen insisted. "Come inside. We'll get you all settled and I'll scrounge up some dinner."

MIMIMI

That night, Mark and Izzie lay in the guest bedroom with the babies between them, holding hands over the baby.

"This was my home away from home growing up," Mark murmured into the darkness. "Maureen was the one who bandaged up my scrapes and helped me with my homework after school. She was always there for me. It didn't matter that I wasn't her biological child. She made sure I had all of the love and affection I couldn't find at home. It kills me to see her so broken. She was always so full of life and warmth. Derek's dad died of a heart attack right before Amy was born. She loved all of her children equally, but Amy was the baby of the family and she was always so close to Maureen. I can't imagine a Shepherd holiday without Amy bustling around the kitchen helping Maureen."

"You really care about them, don't you?" Izzie whispered.

"They've always been my family," Mark replied. "Especially after Kat died, they treated me like one of their own. I could never begin to repay their kindness."

"That's the thing about families," Izzie said, "you don't have to repay them. You just have to reciprocate, which you do."

"It's a good thing you don't have to repay debts to families," Mark mused, "because my debt to you is so big it would take all of this lifetime and the next. Thank you, Iz, for giving me a family of my own flesh and blood."

Smiling in response, Izzie leaned over the babies to kiss him before drifting off to sleep.

_**A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! I know it's a bit awkward, but I hope you enjoyed it!**_


	24. You're From Outerspace

_A/N: I know this is a McStizzie, but I want to add in a little MerDer for depth. Please REVIEW!_

Chapter 24

The funeral was, as all funerals are, a very solemn, sad event, complicated by the added tragedy that they were paying their last respects to young parents taken so tragically from their little boy. The coffins were, thankfully closed, and placed side by side, surrounded by pictures of Amy and her husband Craig. Derek's oldest niece, a sweet 14 year old, had begged to be able to keep the twins, rather than go to the funeral and Izzie hadn't the heart to refuse. The other children were with various family babysitters. Despite the protests of Derek, Meredith, Mark and Izzie, Craig's parents insisted that Chris attend the funeral. The little boy sat in between Derek and Maureen, uncomfortably dressed in a little black suit and tie, a solemn, confused look on his sweet little face. He was almost the image of Derek, with his inky hair and cerulean eyes.

Izzie was slightly stunned by the contrast in the two families of the deceased. Derek and his sisters had warm, loving memories of Amy and Craig and they shared them with the sad smile of longing that you get when you truly miss someone. They remarked on what wonderful people and parents they were. Craig's family on the other hand had his brother deliver a stilted eulogy, sermonizing on all of Craig's success as a lawyer and a member of their oh-so-prestigious family.

After the service and burial, everyone went to the Shepherd house for the wake. Meredith, Mark, and Izzie sat together on the sofa as the family milled around and mingled with the guests. They had long ago lost Derek in the crowd.

"I hate this," Izzie whispered. "I hate funerals and I hate all of these snotty people."

"Me too," Mark said, kissing the side of her head. "Craig's family has always been that way."

"Have you guys seen Chris anywhere?" Meredith asked, looking a little distracted. "That poor little guy looked so scared and…overwhelmed. Maybe we can find some way to sneak him away and have a little break from all this dark and twistyness."

Mark and Izzie exchanged a briefly surprised look before Mark responded. "Last I saw he was with Maureen. Why don't we go get him? We can take him up and let him hang out with Tess and the munchkins."

Nodding in agreement, the trio searched out Maureen in the crowd. Little Chris was standing patiently at her side, staring at the floor. As the familiar one, Mark went up and drew Maureen aside.

"Hey, Maureen, Izzie, Mer and I thought that it might be good to take Chris upstairs with the little ones and get him away from all of this for a little while," Mark murmured. "I think two hours of this is more than enough for a four year old."

"Oh, thank you, Markie," Maureen said, hugging him.

"Thank Meredith," Mark protested. "It was all her idea."

"Thank you, Meredith," Maureen said, pulling Meredith into a hug as well. "It's so sweet of you. Just to warn you, you're going to have to sneak him away. Sophia is being absolutely impossible about having him here, insisting that everyone needs to see him. The poor little thing is just so bewildered and scared."

"We'll avoid her and take Chris upstairs and stay there with him," Mark promised. "You just focus on getting through today and let us know if you need anything else."

Mark kissed Maureen on the cheek before she was called over by another group. Meredith knelt down to talk to Chris.

"Hey, little man," Meredith said, rubbing his arm. "It's kind of a sad day, huh?" Chris nodded glumly. "So, your uncle Mark, Izzie and I were thinking that you might like to come upstairs with us and hang out with Tess and the babies for a while instead of all of these grown-ups. Would you like that?" A small light appeared in Chris's eyes as he nodded again and took the hand Meredith held out for him.

Izzie pulled Mark to a stop as they climbed the stairs. "Is Meredith Grey actually bonding with a kid? Like a living breathing kid that can talk and interact?"

"It appears she is," Mark said. "Don't question the bonding, just accept it. Now, come on, I need some twin time."

"Me too," Izzie agreed as they followed Chris and Meredith to the upstairs family room where Kathleen's daughter Tess was playing with the babies. As they approached the room, they heard very incensed cries. They entered the room to find Tess bouncing Riley up and down while Katie cried pitifully on the palette amidst their toys.

"They just started crying," Tess said, a hint of panic in her voice. "I don't know what's wrong. I checked their diapers, I've tried to feed them, and I just don't know what's wrong."

"Oh, sweetie, it's ok," Izzie assured her, coming over to take Riley from her. "Babies just do this sometimes."

The second Izzie took Riley in her arms he stopped crying and laid his tear-stained little cheek against her shoulder. "Hey, buddy," she crooned. "You just missed me, huh? It's ok."

Mark moved to pick Katie up, but before he got a chance, Chris sat down next to her and gave her a warm hug. "It's ok, don't cry," he said. To the surprise of everyone, Katie stopped crying.

"Chris, that's Katie, and this little guy is Riley," Izzie said.

"Are you their mommy?" Chris asked in a small voice.

"Yes, she is," Mark replied sitting down next to Chris. "And I'm their daddy."

"I don't have a mommy or daddy anymore," Chris told Katie. "You're lucky to have such a nice mommy and daddy. My mommy and daddy have gone to heaven so I won't get to see them for a long, long time, but they were really nice too." He sat silently for a minute, wiggling Katie's favorite stuffed bunny in front of her. "Hey Uncle Mark?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"What's gonna have to happen to me? I'm all alone," Chris asked. "What happens to kids who don't have parents?"

Mark was too stunned to reply for a minute, but Meredith jumped in, sitting down and wrapping Chris in her arms. "You aren't alone, sweetie. You have a wonderful family who loves you so much! I'm sure your parents have arranged what they think – thought is best for you. And if they haven't, well, you've got a pretty awesome godfather and grandmother who will always make sure you are safe and happy. Ok?"

Chris nodded, finally meeting Meredith's gaze. "Aunt Meredith?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"You're pretty nice too," Chris said, resting his head on her shoulder.

MIMIMI

After everyone had left, Mark went downstairs to find Derek sitting on the living room sofa with his mother, looking a little upset. Maureen was mopping her face with her handkerchief. Nancy, Kathleen, and Lauren were sitting looking more than a little shaken up.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked.

"Craig's parents are insisting we have the reading of the will today," Derek explained. "They claim that they want everything settled as soon as possible."

"I just buried my youngest child and they want to think about legal issues and wills," Maureen said, sniffling.

"Let's just get it over with, Mom," Derek said. "The sooner we get everything settled, the easier it will be for Chris."

Reluctantly, Maureen nodded. "Alright. They're waiting in the study."

The Shepherd clan silently filed into the elegant study with Mark close behind.

"Where is Christopher?" Craig's mother, Mrs. MacIntyre, demanded from her seat on the leather sofa.

"He's upstairs with Meredith and Izzie," Derek replied firmly, "And he's going to stay there. The reading of a will is no place for a four year old."

Once everyone was settled, the lawyer began. "We, Craig and Amy McIntyre, being of sound minds and bodies do leave the entirety of our possessions, with the exception a few small bequests, to our son, Christopher Daniel MacIntyre." The lawyer went on to outline a few minor personal bequests. Then, he paused before saying, "Regarding the custody of our son, Christopher, we leave full custody to his godfather, Derek. We want Christopher to have a good, happy life and we feel that Derek is the best possible choice to insure that our little boy grows into a good man."

_**A/N: A little short, but I hope you enjoy it! As I said, this is the set up to carry us through to the end. PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews are currently all that is brightening up a frightfully boring summer!**_


	25. You're a Wishing Well

A/N: I am SOOOOOOO sorry it's taken so long to update. I've had the writer's block from hell on this and my original story I've been working on. I'm going to try to post a new chapter this weekend, but here's a little filler.

P.S. A big shout out to moonstar99! Yay for getting this story to 100 reviews. More reviews are always appreciated (they help w/ writer's block)

Chapter 25

"What?!" Mrs. MacIntyre exclaimed. "There must be some mistake!"

"There is no mistake, ma'am," the lawyer replied. "Mr. and Mrs. MacIntyre were very adamant about their decision. They specifically asked that Dr. Shepherd be the one to raise Christopher."

"But he's a single man who lives on the other side of the country!"

"I'm a practically engaged man," Derek inserted.

"And his location is one of the reasons they cited as wanting him to have custody of the child. They said that they wanted Chris to be able to start over and have a new life in a place that wouldn't remind him of what he's lost."

Derek nodded sadly. With a shriek of outrage, Mrs. MacIntyre stormed out of the room and out of the house, the rest of her family following at her heels.

"Mom, are you ok with this?" Derek asked, taking his mom's hands in his.

Maureen nodded tearfully. "Amy and Craig made the right decision. Chris needs a father like you and he needs a fresh start. He needs you and Mark and your wonderful girls to help him grow up. You just have to promise to come and visit more often."

"We will, Mom," Derek promised, kissing her forehead. "Mark? Should we - will you go with me to tell Meredith and Chris?"

"Yeah, man," Mark replied. "I'm here to help you in whatever way you need."

"Thanks," Derek said, getting up and heading upstairs.

MIMIMI

When Mark and Derek returned to the family room, they found Izzie and Tess playing with Riley on the couch and Chris and Meredith on the floor with a happily cooing Katie. Derek paused in the doorway and took a deep, fortifying breath. Sensing his friend's nerves, Mark patted him on the shoulder before moving to sit with Izzie. Derek went and joined Meredith and Chris on the floor.

"Hi, Uncle Derek!" Chris chirped, looking in much better spirits than he had been earlier. As soon as Derek was seated, Chris crawled into his lap.

"Hey buddy," Derek said, hugging Chris and kissing his hair, inhaling the sweet little boy scent of him. "What are you and Aunt Mer up to?"

"We're playing with Katie," Chris said. "She likes me. She's just a baby, so she can't really talk, but she keeps smiling and jabbering at me, so I know she likes me lots."

"That's good," Derek said absently. "Chris, there's something I need to tell you and Aunt Mer about."

"What is it, Derek?" Meredith asked, scooting closer to him.

"Amy and Craig left custody of Chris to me," Derek said. "They wanted him to come live in Seattle with me if anything happened to them. Would you like that, Chris?"

"I'm going to come and live in Seattle with you?" Chris asked.

"With me, and Aunt Meredith and Uncle Mark and Aunt Izzie," Derek replied.

"And Katie and Riley?"

"Yup, Katie and Riley too," Derek confirmed. "Plus a bunch of really nice doctors that are our friends that we work with."

"What about Grandma? And Aunt Kathleen and Aunt Nancy and Aunt Lauren and all of the cousins?" Chris asked, biting his lip nervously.

"Well, we would come and visit them for holidays and they would come visit whenever they could," Derek assured him. "But your mommy and daddy wanted you to have the chance to have a fresh start in a place that wouldn't make you sad all the time."

"I miss them," Chris said mournfully, resting his head on Derek's shoulder.

"I know, buddy, I know," Derek comforted him, cuddling him close.

"You and Aunt Meredith won't leave me will you?" Chris lifted his big, sad eyes to meet Derek's and then Meredith's. A lump formed in Derek's throat, choking him up. Meredith jumped in to reassure the little tyke.

"The only way we'll leave you is if we absolutely have to, but that won't happen for a long, long time," Meredith promised. "You're a special little boy and we wouldn't want to miss a minute of being with you."

Derek met Meredith's gaze over Chris's dark curls and mouthed "thank you."

MIMIMI

Later that evening, Maureen joined them all in the family room. Riley had nodded off in Izzie's arms. Izzie was snuggled up next to Mark. Meredith and Derek were cuddled up on the opposite end of the couch. Chris was quietly playing on the floor with Katie, who was enchanted with the little boy. She hadn't stopped grinning and giggling since Chris had entered the room. As they grew sleepier, Katie laid her head down in Chris's lap and was contentedly watching _Aladdin_.

"That'll be a match some day," Maureen commented slyly to Izzie.

"Bite your tongue," Mark growled. "My baby girl is never dating."

"It's inevitable, sweetheart," Izzie informed him.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Mark muttered darkly. Everyone else just laughed at him.

_**A/N2: PLEASE REVIEW!!**_


	26. When You Smile At Me

Chapter 26

Three days later, the Stevens-Sloan family, Meredith, Derek and Chris returned to Seattle. Until they could finish the new house on Derek's land, Meredith and Derek settled Chris into Izzie's old room in Meredith's childhood home. He was still very sad and confused by his parents' deaths, but he lit up whenever he walked into the daycare at the hospital to find Katie there. They had talked about putting him in pre-school, but decided to give him a little time to settle in before they left him somewhere that wasn't easily accessible to someone from their mixed family.

One night, about a month since their return from New York, Meredith and Derek were cuddled up on the couch with Chris, listening to him practice reading a book. Meredith had zoned out, lulled by the sweet drone of Chris's little voice. The rumble of Derek's voice interrupted her musings.

"Great job, buddy," Derek encouraged his nephew. "You're going to be an expert in no time."

"I like reading, Uncle Der," Chris replied. "I get to go on all sorts of adventures. Have you ever been on adventures, Uncle Derek?"

"Sure I have," Derek replied.

"What was the best one?" Chris asked eagerly.

"Hmm," Derek pretended to think about it for a minute. "Well, I'd have to say it would be the night I met a beautiful woman and fell in love with her. We had some bad things happen that kept us apart for a while, but in the end we ended up together. But the adventure didn't end there."

"Is the beautiful woman, Aunt Meri? What's next on the adventure?"

"Well, somehow we ended up with this wonderful little boy to love," Derek replied. "But what comes next is the best part." Shifting Meredith off his chest into a sitting position, Derek got down on one knee in front of her. Giggling, Chris did the same thing. Then, Derek pulled out a pale blue box and held it open, displaying a simple, classic Tiffany's engagement ring.

"Meredith Grey, will you continue on this adventure and marry us?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, Aunt Meri, will you marry us," Chris echoed, giving her a charming smile identical to Derek's. "Pretty please with sugar on top?"

Meredith waited for the terrified feelings to come, but they didn't. She looked into the matching blue eyes and felt nothing but peace. So, she nodded. "Yes, I will marry you."

Grinning madly, Derek swept her and Chris into a hug and twirled them around the living room.

MIMIMI

Later that same night, after the twins were sound asleep in their nursery, Mark and Izzie lay curled up together in their bed together, skin to skin, enjoying the silence.

"Hey, Iz?" Mark whispered.

"Mm?" Izzie was too content to muster up more of a reply.

"My birthday's coming up soon, and I've figured out what I want," Mark said softly.

"What?"

"For you to marry me," Mark whispered against her ear.

"What?" Izzie exclaimed, sitting up and swiveling to face him.

"We're already living together and have a family together, so I know it's really just a formality," Mark said. "But, going back home, remember how happy Derek's parents were, how happy Amy and Craig were, made me want to share everything in my life with you, including my name. You are my world, Izzie, and I adore you and our kids. I want the world to know that. So, will you, Dr. Isobel Stevens, marry me, Mark Sloan, flawed, stubborn human being that I am?"

Izzie couldn't help tearing up. "What took you so long?" she murmured, giving him a watery kiss.

"Hey, I never claimed to be the fastest learner, but I do catch on quick," Mark protested. "I don't plan on ever letting you go."

"I don't plan on letting you go, either," Izzie pointed out. "When do you want to do it?"

"On my birthday?" Mark asked. "If that's ok with you. I know it's only 2 weeks away, but I don't want all the pomp and circumstance. I just want you."

"I think since we put the cart way before the horse, two weeks is plenty of time," Izzie agreed. "I don't want to make a huge fuss. I just want our friends and the kids and any of our family that can make it."

"I knew there was a reason I love you," Mark murmured, smiling wolfishly as he pulled Izzie into a passionate kiss.

MIMIMI

Meredith was working on charts in the residents' lounge when Izzie came breezing in, glowing, the next day. Meredith glanced up at her, trying to be her normal suspicious self, but failing miserably. She joined her friend in the land of the glow.

"Mer, I have something-" Izzie started, but broke off when the light caught something shiny. "Meredith Grey, is that a ring on your finger?"

"Yes," Meredith muttered, suppressing a grin.

"A brand new, shiny, _engagement_ ring?" Izzie persisted, bouncing onto the couch beside Meredith.

"Yes," Meredith confirmed, louder this time. "Derek and Chris proposed last night and I couldn't help but say yes."

Izzie squealed softly and threw her arms around Meredith. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Meredith said, returning Izzie's hug. "Now, what has you so glowy? You're not pregnant again, are you?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Izzie replied, smirking like the cat that ate the canary.

"Well, spit out before you explode," Meredith ordered. "Because I'm not cleaning up your bits and pieces if you do."

"Mark proposed last night!" Izzie exclaimed.

"Well, let me see it," Meredith demanded.

"See what?" Izzie's brow furrowed in confusion.

"The ring," Meredith said, rolling her eyes impatiently.

"I don't have one yet," Izzie admitted.

"Mark Sloan, ladies' man extraordinaire, proposed to you, after almost two years of being together and he didn't have a ring?"

Izzie looked slightly deflated. "No." Her eyes growing stormy, she flounced out of the room.

MIMIMI

Mark had just finished scrubbing out of a 3 hour surgery when Izzie found him. He didn't pause to gauge her mood, he just drew her into a deep kiss. Only she didn't return it for very long. Instead, she pulled back and glared at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Why does Meredith 'terrified-of-commitment' Grey get a ring and I don't?" Izzie demanded. Mark winced.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice," Mark explained. "I'm supposed to pick it up this afternoon."

"So, you have at least bought one?" Izzie clarified.

"Yes. Katie, Riley, and I picked it out. It just needed to be resized," Mark replied.

"You took our one-year olds to a jewelry store?" Izzie asked.

"I took our angelic one-year olds to Tiffany's, along with Derek and Chris," Mark corrected. He searched her face with a persuasive smile.

"So, am I forgiven?"

Izzie pretended to mull it over for a few moments. "I suppose."

"To make it up to you," Mark replied. "I will take care of all the wedding arrangements, except for your dress, if you want. I will give you a fairy tale wedding with the minimum amount of fuss."

"You will?" Izzie said, perking up at the sound of that idea. "All I would have to do would be to pick out my dress?"

"That would be it," Mark promised. "And show up, of course."

"Dr. Sloan, you've got yourself a deal."

_**A/N: So, to make up for a month w/o updates, here's another one. The story is moving a little faster than I would like, but I want to finish it and still give you all the happy ending you deserve. Please review and let me know if it's going too fast or if you like it.**_


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